Snowflakes
by unimaginee
Summary: Ruby and Weiss have been friends for half a year now and Ruby has been aware of her feelings for Weiss for a long time. When she finally works up the courage to confess, how will Weiss take it? White Rose, Highschool AU. Rating Liable to change.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby stared at the locker door to her right. The metal of the door gleaming in the cool light of the mourning. Looking towards the window she saw that the sky was a deep sheet of grey looming over the earth. Remembering her mourning, nothing interesting, nothing exciting. Just a normal day. Her gaze drifted back to the locker door. The sounds of rattling and small crashing echoed from all around as books were lazily slung into lockers and there doors slammed. The small door in front of her shaking into life and she mentally prepared herself. The thin sheet of metal in front of her was only thing separating her from the thing that haunted her in her worse nightmares, but also accompanied her in her sweetest dreams.

Weiss Schnee.

The door swung back neatly, revealing the owner of the locker. Ruby now face to face with her crush. Weiss' icy blue eyes stared into Ruby's own like daggers. A mer moment past before she began to spoke, almost like had already rehearsed it.

"Stop spacing out, we need to get to class" Weiss spoke harshly but Ruby knew she didn't mean anything by it. The shorter girl spun around to head to class, stopping a moment, she called out to the girl she had turned her back to before starting towards their class.

"dolt."

Ruby, without hesitation, tossed her books into her locker without caring what condition they ended up in. she called after Weiss "hey...Weiss, wait!" after slamming her locker she noticed Weiss had already made considerably progress down the hallway. After a short jog to catch up, Ruby adjusted to Weiss' pace and before grinning and looking down. "Oh c'mon, don't be like that".

Weiss just instantly replied with "Well if you didn't space out _All, The, Time._"

"Your exaggerating". Ruby's grin as wide as ever.

Weiss didn't replied to this, probably due to that fact that there wasn't much to say. Weiss wasn't to fond of pointless conversation. The silence between the two didn't make Ruby uncomfortable as she had grown familiar with the quiet after spending a lot of time around Weiss. As they trudged towards class- well Ruby trudged, Weiss was walking with elegance and grace like always- Ruby ran though her "situation", as she has coined it, in her head for what must be the millionth time.

She and Weiss had been "friends", if you could call it that, for half a year know. Ruby had known about Weiss since the first day of high school and had been interested in getting to know the girl. She had tried to approach the mysterious girl that captured so much of her attention, but had been shot down almost immediately. After asking a few people she learnt that Weiss had been dubbed as The Ice Queen by pretty much the entire school. Most people were afraid to even talk to her because of her cold nature. After that Ruby pretty much gave up, figuring it wasn't worth the effort. Even though she told herself that the White haired girl would always sneak back into her thoughts. She would steal glances at the girl, noticing like she seemed to block out the entire world. She seemed so distant to Ruby, almost like she was from a different world entirely. Every time Ruby saw the girl alone it sparked something inside of her, a sort of determination to try and talk to her again, but it always dissolved quickly when confronted with the girl's icy stare. Ruby never truly gave up on the snowy girl. Something always nagged at her whenever she saw her, maybe it was the way she pushed everyone away, while exuding some kind of aura, a aura that screamed for attention, for someone to talk to her. To Ruby she looked lonely. Unfortunately Ruby never really talked to Weiss until their second year.

In their second year of high school Ruby had been place right next to Weiss in Science class. This had ignited Ruby's desire to talked to the mysterious girl all over again but this time it was much more intense. Like her whole being had being, body, mind and soul had been set ablaze but to her surprise, and slight disappointment, Weiss made the first move. After being asked to choose partners for a project Weiss had asked her if they could work together, well more like demanded. Something about Ruby's impressive grades in most subjects, well she hadn't skipped ahead two years for nothing. After that they paired up on pretty much everything, Weiss being "Slightly impressed with the work ethic and quality" that Ruby had shown on their first project.

The two had grown close after the six months they had spend working together on projects and assignments, well not that close but it was a start. Most of their time outside of school was spend apart unless there was a project to be done, but inside school they where almost always together even though Weiss insisted that Ruby was just a nuisance most of the time. Over time the small interest Ruby had in Weiss grew to the burning love she felt today, and continued to grow every moment she spend with the "Ice Queen".

Ruby hadn't told anyone about her preferences, romantically. Not anyone. Not even Yang, her older sister that had pretty much raised her for the past 5 years. Especially not Weiss. She was a coward, she was to afraid of the possible rejection. The extremely possible rejection. The images of a disgusted Weiss haunted her constantly. Even though she was such a coward she knew that she couldn't hide it for ever. Not from Yang, and especially not Weiss. She had to tell her. And the sooner the better. It was getting hard to hide her romantic leanings. Weiss had caught her staring dozens of times and every time she had to give some lame excuse that Weiss clearly didn't believe but chose to just accept. What she felt for Weiss wasn't just a simple teenage crush. Her feelings had developed, changed and matured over a year and a half, and she had thought things over in her head over and over again, and every time she decided that her feeling were not going to just disappear.

She decided that she was going to confess to Weiss. Soon. But first she had to tell Yang, She wasn't sure of how the blonde would take it, but Ruby couldn't even remember a time when her sister was truly angry at her. She was sure Yang would accept her.

Ruby was brought back to earth by the harsh tone that she loved so much

"See, your doing it again, dunce".

Ruby felt her face heat up slightly at the fact that Weiss had caught her zoning out twice in the space of just under five minutes. Eager to defend herself she shot back "no, Im not I was just focused...on my thoughts"

Weiss just sighed at Ruby's poor excuse.

Ruby and Weiss made their way out of English Literature and to their lockers. Ruby was fortunate enough that Weiss was able to convince the student council to move her locker next to Ruby's after saying that "It would help with there project work and therefor if the student council were to refuse it would hinder there ability to learn and preform resulting in a drop in their grades, which the student council would be help directly responsible for." That and the fact that Weiss' father is a member of the board of education as well as CEO and owner of Schnee Energy.

Ruby slammed her locker door shut and instantly slumped forwards, her forehead colliding with the cold sheet metal of her locker. A voice called out to her from her side, groaning heavily, she lazily turned her head to face it.

"Ruby, Are you listening?"

"hmmm? Yeah, sure Im listening"

Weiss gave a questioning look but continued anyway

"Are you sure your not sick or anything."

Ruby quickly jumped up at the concern that seeped through the cracks in Weiss' voice.

"Yeah Im fine, why?" Ruby spat out with her usually grin, unwilling to worry Weiss anymore that she may have already.

"Its just that you've been..."out of it" today". Ruby's grin turning into a warm smile that she usually wore around Weiss but she quickly corrected herself and returned the usually goofy smile. Weiss continued with was seemed like a tint of nervousness in her voice. It was only slight but Ruby could hear the usual authority that Weiss spoke with crumble. Slightly. "Not that Im Worried or anything I just don't want you to be ill on the day of a project and me to end up with some no-brain idiot that would drag my grade down."

Weiss returned to grabbing the books she would need for the weekend out of her locker and placing them carefully into her bag. After a moment Ruby mirrored Weiss' actions but without the sense of grace that Weiss carried whenever she did anything. After a short while Weiss continued speaking like there hadn't been a pause at all.

"Anyway you know what they said, "Idiots don't catch colds."

Ruby just hummed to show that she had been paying attention to Weiss and carried on packing books into her backpack. After a moment had passed just as she was about to grab her last book she realized the insult Weiss had slipped passed her. Turning her head expecting to see a smirking Weiss looking up at her, instead she saw that Weiss wasn't standing in front of her locker. Grabbing her last book she tossed it recklessly into he bag and took off after Weiss who had already made her way to the front doors.

Ruby called out after Weiss as she exited the school "Hey come on Weiss, I know you don't mean that!" but Weiss just continued on at the same pace.

After catching up to Weiss, Ruby shoved her gently in the arm and smirked. "And I know you do worry about me"

Weiss' face lit up in a small blush before turning away and mumbling something that Ruby didn't quiet catch but didn't need to.

"Dunce"

Ruby and Weiss spend around 15minutes walking home together. Ruby getting distracted by pretty much everything in sight and Weiss just listening and replying when she felt it was necessary. After going there separate ways, Ruby's thoughts lingered on Weiss like they usually did after their little walk. This was the only time they got to spend alone together. Though Weiss probably didn't think anything of it, it meant the world to Ruby. In school there was always people around, and they didn't hang out much after school much and when they did it was because of a school project. During that time they would be alone in Ruby's room but Weiss would change when they had a project to be working, it wasn't a drastic change or anything, she just became more focused and intense. Ruby tried talking about other thing while Weiss was at her house but all Weiss was interested in was the project. This lead Ruby to thinking about what Weiss' house is like and wondering why they never worked at her house but before she could dwell on it too much she faced her own front door.

She knew that just behind this door Yang was waiting for her to get home. Suddenly it all became real for her. Coming out to Yang. It terrified her now more than ever. Would her sister accept her. Would she treat her the same afterwards. What if she didn't accepted her, what would she do then? Ruby, feeling herself starting to panic, shook her head violently as if to shake the negative thoughts from her head. Her mouth felt extremely dry. Like a desert. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat before grasping the door handle.

Dozens of thoughts raced through her mind but one stood out the most. "I could just not go in. it's not too late to back out" she tired to convince herself that this was a bad idea. Bad enough to make herself just turn around and walk away, into the endless world. but she couldn't, the thought of Weiss kept running though her head making it all seem worthwhile. All the worries, all the stress, all the panic. Weiss paid for it in spades.

If she couldn't tell Yang then how could she tell is the second most important person to her right now. She grew up with Yang; Yang was there when she was nervous about her first day of high school;Yang was there when her father had left her; Yang was there when she couldn't sleep and at night because of the nightmares and Yang was there when her mother had died.

Steading her breath she slowly blinked once, turning the handle to the door. She peered though and called out.

"Yang! Im home"

**A/N**

**So the first chapter is done, thanks for reading and any criticism is appreciated **

**Sorry for this chapter being a bit short but this is just really a opening type thing. Setting the scene, without this Authors notes its around 2000 words **

**So there are a few things I want to point out before I continue writing this story. This story will heavily focus on White Rose and by heavily I mean completely. I don't plan on writing about any other pairings in this story all though other characters will be introduced if I see fit. Yang will have a heavy involvement in the story but will not be paired up with anyone. This is mainly because of the plot, if you actually read the first chapter you can clearly see that Ruby doesn't think in anyway that Yang is gay and spoiler alert* she's not. The main reason for this is when I see in AU and series fiction that both Yang and Ruby are gay I instantly thing that its too...convenient, for lack of a better term so I don't want to do that in this fiction. No hate on yang or any of her pairing just want to get my view out on that. I could always pair her up with some random guy from the show but it would be pointless plot wise and would hinder the story more that it would help**

**Another thing is Im sorry if I don't update this story often. Im currently studying graphic design at college and have a lot of coursework to be doing, but when summer break comes, if I haven't completely forgotten about this then I will surely pick it back up.**

**Agains thanks for reading, review if you have something to say, favourite if you liked and follow if you want to see more**

**P.S sorry about the big A/N**

**EDIT: Thanks to Killerklown for offering to beta read this story for me, after there input I've changed the story quite a bit. The plot of the story remains the same but the wording in some places is different and I've added and few new sentences here and there. Now I feel like the words flow better and it helps the story a whole lot. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Important: The first chapter was re-written, not completely but I still changed quite a lot. Story wise nothing has changed but the wording in places is different and I added a few things here and there, overall making the story flow better. The chapter was updated as of the 15th of may and is all thanks to Killerklown offering to beta this story.**

* * *

"Yang, Im home"

Ruby called out into what seemed to be a empty house. The words echoed of the walls, bouncing around the house. A eerie silence was her answers for a few moments and she thought Yang might not be home right now. But sure enough, like aways, she saw her sister rampaged down the stairs towards her. Leaping passed the last few stairs for impact; she landed right in front of Ruby. Without missing a beat Yang picked Ruby up and practically squeezed the life out of her, capturing her in one of her bear hugs. After a moment she noticed Ruby's resistance, or lack of. Carefully she placed her sister back on the ground. Easing up on her grip but still keeping her sister close, she spoke in a whispered tone, as if Ruby was so fragile that she would shatter at the sound of her voice.

"What's Up?"

Yangs voice was serious, thick with concern. Ruby just laughed mentally at how well her sister knew her. She rested her head on her sisters shoulder and exhaled deeply before relying.

"I can't get anything past you, can I?"

Yang pulled back slightly and stared down at her sister before grinning. "Nope!" Yang's grin just as wide as it usually was. Ruby looked up at Yang, her features soon returning back to the serious expression she wore before. Her lilac eyes reflected pure concern. Yang had always been like this, serious when she needed to be and she always knew when Ruby needed her to be serious. Ruby could always rely on Yang when she had no one else. Yang was always there and Ruby was sure that she always would be there.

"So, what is it"

Ruby realized that she had just been staring up at Yang for a while now. She wanted to tell Yang, but not right now, she still need sometime to figure out what she would say exactly. She knew she couldn't lie to Yang, so she just told her the truth.

"Im fine, its just...i need to talk to you, but not now. Later. Is that okay?"

Yang, a warm smile on her lips, replied "Yeah, whenever you want"

Ruby smiled slightly before pulling out of the hug and began up the stairs towards her room. The climb up the stairs felt like a climb up a mountain. Her legs felt like boulders as she dragged herself up the stairs. Eventually Ruby reached the door to her room. Before entering she stopped and listen for a moment. She heard the sound of Yangs footsteps, probably going towards the kitchen to start preparing there dinner. Ruby pushed open the door to her room, which felt like a ton of bricks. She slumped down onto her bed before proceeding to stare at the ceiling. Deciding she had worried about Yang enough already, she let her mind go blank.

Her mind was empty for a long while. Time seemed to come to a halt and all her anxiety dissipated. She decided that she could let go of her worries for a short while and just relax. She stared up at the ceiling intensely, as if it were the most important thing right now. She relaxed even further; seeping down into her bed, which seemed to swallow her. She felt warm, maybe overly so, but right now she didn't want to move a inch. Her breathing was deep and calm. Her eyelids fell shut, closing off her sense of sight. The only sounds that could be heard where her deep breaths accompanied by the sounds of life outside her open window. The sound of birds merrily chirping, the wind against the branches, the odd mutterings of people passing her house. The sound of the wind stood out the most with it sweeping across the trees outside her house. It seemed like it was the Wind that had carried all of her troubles away. The way it caused the branches to clash together. The feeling of a cool breeze that accompanied the sounds of the swift wind. Her mind was completely engrossed with the sounds around her. Nothing mattered at that moment, she just, let go. But eventually it came to a end. Her anxiety flooding back in, crashing into the deepest recesses of her mind and along with it came the sounds of ringing

Instantly recognizing the ringing as her phone she grabbed if off of her dresser next to her bed. She didn't bother checking who it was she; she knew who was calling her.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby spoke into the phone without hesitation, confident in her prediction.

"Hello Ruby, did I leave a bag over there the last time we worked on a project?" Weiss' icy toned was prominent even through the phone. Ruby could almost feel the glare over the phone. She sat up and looked around her room. After spotting a white bag underneath her desk she returned her attention to the phone.

"Is it White?"

"Yes"

Ruby got up off of her bed and walked over to her desk, reached under and pulled the bag out from underneath. Placing it on her bed she sat down on her desk chair.

"Yeah I have it, wan't me to bring it to school on Monday?" Today being friday they wouldn't normally see each other on the weekends, Weiss was usually busy with some important heiress thing. But to Ruby's surprise Weiss didn't agree with her plan.

"No, I'll just come over and get it. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Ruby sprung up her head flicking from one side to the other as if something helpful would be written on either of her walls. Ruby wasn't ready for tomorrow, she would have to clean the whole house before Weiss got there.

"Would that be a problem?" Weiss sounded annoyed, but Ruby was too panicked to notice. After clearing her mind, and taking a deep breath Ruby was ready to say something but Weiss had already continued figuring Ruby was taking to long. "You can bring it too school on Monday if you don't want me coming to your house tomorrow." there was defiantly some annoyance in Weiss' and it seemed to stab Ruby in the chest, sending her into further panic..

"No! Its just err...tomorrows fine! yeah come over."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at around..." there was a small pause as if Weiss was thinking but then her voice returned just as quickly as it had gone. "...one o'clock. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah fine... one's fine." Ruby replied still recovering from the slight shock of Weiss' suggestion to come over to get it.

"Oh, and Ruby" Weiss continued almost as a after thought

"Yes?"

"Are you sure your not sick. You were acting strange today at school and...now your, well, you seem" Weiss contemplated her word a moment, which was unusual to Ruby, Weiss was usually prepared when it came to her speech, always knowing what she was going to say next. After a moment of contemplation she continued, almost like she hadn't stopped at all. "Scattered...not that Im worried or anything, I just don't want to catch anything if Im coming over tomorrow." the last part came of quickly and unrehearsed. Ruby laughed quietly at the fact that Weiss still though she could trick Ruby with those excuses.

"I know you worry about me" Ruby stated smugly, like she had already counted this one as a win

"Shut up you dunce" And the victory was hers

"Ok Ok, Sooooorry" Ruby chuckled before remembering what they were talking about "And anyway Im not sick"

"Fine, if you say so." Weiss' voice trailed off not sounding entirely convinced. "Oh, and Ruby one more thing"

"hmmm" Ruby hummed before flopping back down onto her bed, realising this conversation would be coming to a end soon.

"Don't look inside that bag" Weiss' voice sounded serious and harsh. Ruby looked over at the bag next to her. The thought hadn't crossed her mind but now she was curious. "Im serious. If you do I'll have you arrested for invasion of privacy"

"Im pretty sure thats not a good enough reason to have someone arrested."

"Well whatever just don't look"

"Ok, I wasn't even planning on It"

"Good" In the background Ruby could hear a door slam and someone call Weiss' name. Even through the phone the voice sound strong and confident, though it also sounded gruff and harsh like it had been strained a lot over the years. Weiss' voice returned but only as a whisper. "I've got to go now, I'll see you tomorrow"

Before Ruby could even reply the phone went dead. She sighed and stood up, tossing her phone onto her bed. She glanced back over to the bag on her bed. A wave of curiosity crashed over her. She wondered what was in the bag that she wasn't allow to see. After few moments though she decided against it, figuring that it wouldn't win her any points with her crush if she were to ever find out, which she would. After placing the bag next to her door, she stared towards the door itself.

After a few minutes of just staring at the wood graining in her door, she decided that she was ready to face yang, well as ready as she would ever be. Her footsteps echoed around her as she made her way back down the mountain she had climbed to get to her room.

After the trek downstairs Ruby stood in the hallway for a few moments just staring at her sisters back while she carried on preparing there dinner. To anyone else this would look like a normal day, but Ruby felt the uncomfortable awkwardness between the two. Or maybe it was just her, Yang didn't seem any different. Slowly she approached he sister, she could heard her humming softly as she cooked. Ruby felt a weight lift of her shoulders.

"Hey, Yang." she called out casually, like she always did but the reaction she got was not the usual one.

The blonde spun round wildly as her eyes widened in fear at the sight of her younger sister. Her voice full of nervousness "H-h-hey Ruby" Yang backed up a bit, her eyes wildly searching the area around them, as if for a way out. Ruby just sighed as she took at seat at the table they ate at. She looked up at Yang, before speaking.

"Not yet Yang..." She saw the blonde relax at her words, but Ruby wanted to make sure Yang knew this was serious and there was no way out of it. Not that Yang would truly try and run."...After dinner."

Yang returned to finishing their meal. Silence had consumed the room. The tension too thick for either of them to say anything, so they didn't. The sisters sat and ate in silence. Usually dinner would be full of conversation. Yang would tell Ruby some of the crazy antics she had gotten herself in over the past few days; Ruby would tell Yang about school and anything else that came to mind at the time. The air would be full of laughter.

But this wasn't their usual family dinner.

Yang seemed to grow more unsettled after every bite Ruby took. Stealing quick glances at her sister trying to be inconspicuous about it. Ruby appeared calm, as she slowly finished up her meal. The red-haired girl had already come to terms with what was going to happen. She had accepted her fate. Yang just poked at her food, eating only the odd bite. A small clang enter Yang's ears and her eyes shot up to see her sister getting up, taking her plate over to the sink. The younger girl turned to face her sister. A moment past before Ruby began speaking, but to Yang that moment felt like hours. "Is it now" she thought to herself. "Is now the time, What if she tells theres a crack in the space-time continuum and the universe is going to end if we don't travel though space to fix it. I don't think I could handle it"

However finally Ruby spoke. "Yang, can we talk now?"

Yang just nodded her head in reply

"Err..okay, great." despite her words she didn't sound too excited about it. Slowly she sat down on the chair next to Yang at the table. Ruby stared at Yang for a while, mentally preparing herself. She took a long look at Yang. At first glance she seemed fine, but her eyes were darting back and forth and her hands were shaking violently on the table in front of her. Ruby rested her hand on Yang's to get her attention. Yang's gaze snapped straight upwards and locked on Ruby' silver eyes. Ruby's breaths were becoming heavier, shaky. Yang felt her sister's hand shaking on top of her red heads confidence diminishing Yang realized that it shouldn't be her who was nervous. Ruby needed her right now. Ruby had spend hours, even days, possibly months, working up the courage to talk to her about whatever it was, which was clearly very important, and Yang was the one panicking. The blonde shook her head slightly. Took two deep breaths, and look Ruby straight in the eye before saying.

"It's okay, you can tell me. What is it?"

Yang's voice was calm, confident; she was ready for anything her sister could throw at her. As if to back up what she just said she squeezed Ruby's hand in hers gently. Ruby let out one silent breath before continuing.

"Y-you wont hate me, right?" her voice was nervous, unsure, and doubtful. Her word oozing with sadness. Yang was slightly taken back by her sisters words. She could never hate Ruby. Not possible. After a moment to recover, she just smiled warmly and shook her head.

Ruby's eyes brimming with unshed tears, she took one last breath to steady herself. Her heart was pounding so much that she was worried that Yang could hear it. Her hands had stopped shaking by now, surrounded by the comfort of Yang's. After a long pause Ruby spoke, he words barely a whisper but they sounded like a thunderclap inside her head.

"Im Gay"

For a moment the world just stopped, Yang's face showing no sign of anything. No sadness: no surprise; no anger; no fear; no hatred. She stared deep into Ruby's eyes. Those silver eyes pleading, begging Yang to say something. A tear streaming down her cheeks and her bottom lip quivering. Ruby called Yang's name. Still in some kind of trance-like state Yang recoiled at the sudden sound, Ruby's voice seemingly poisonous to her ears. Realizing she hadn't responded to Ruby, she mentally kicked herself. Slowly Yang lifted her arms, wrapping them tightly around her sisters shoulders and pulled her close. Resting her head on Ruby's shoulder she breathed out a shaky breath that she had held for what seemed like hours.

"I can't believe you thought I would hate you" Yang smiled, pulling her sister closer. Her embrace was familiar, warm, soft, caring, protective. Everything Ruby needed right now. Yang felt wetness on her shoulder as muffled sobs came from her sister. "If anything I hate myself...for not realizing sooner." Yang's words where shaky and hushed but confident. Yang felt a shiver run down Ruby's spine as she continued sobbing softly into her Shoulder. After she had calmed down slightly Yang pulled away slightly, tears stung her eyes, threatening to break free but she refused to cry, she had to be strong for Ruby. She looked at Ruby with a loving expression. "I will always love you Ruby"

Ruby just smiled and nodded her head before returning to Yangs embrace.

The two sisters remained like that for seconds, minutes, maybe even hours. The world ticked on but they remained still. Yang's embrace was warm and Ruby relished in it. Right now she felt safe, she felt like she had a place that she could truly call home. Ruby could feel Yang's soft hand gliding down the back of her head, pulling a little a the tufts of hair. After steadying herself, Ruby spoke up, although not lifting her head from Yang's shoulder.

"I love you too Yang."

"I know you do" Yang spoke softly, with a warm smile spread across her lips. Ruby pulled back from Yang and stared up at her sister. Her eyes where puffy and red and they still glistened with wetness, but they sparkled with joy and a firm smile was placed on her lips. Her skin was pale and her breaths uneven. Yang decided that she needed to break this heavy atmosphere, so she continued, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Sooooooo..."

Ruby looked up at Yang, her expression slightly confused; she just waited for Yang to continue.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Yang spoke casually.

Ruby's face practically exploded into a deep blush, turning away from Yang to hide her expression.

"No..." Ruby's voice trailed off as she mentally prepared herself. Yang just waited silently for what her sister had to say. "...but, I do have someone I like"

Yang's eyes lit up at the idea of her sisters crush

"Ok, Wait!" Ruby's head tugged towards her sister shooting her a confused glance. "Lemme guess." Yang's expression tightened up in thought, tapping her chin for dramatic effect. Ruby wasn't surprised at the name that she came up with.

"Weiss." Yang said flatly

Ruby just nodded shyly in response. It wasn't really that hard to figure out if you looked closely. Weiss was the only person Ruby talked about, Weiss was the only one who came to her house, even if it is to do school work. So if you knew Ruby well enough, which Yang did, it was pretty hard to miss.

"When are you going to ask her out?"

"Tomorrow, maybe...hopefully" Ruby's word were soaked in uncertainty.

"Whoa, You don't sound to confident" It hurt Yang to see her sister in this state of inner turmoil. Ruby was usually headstrong, A do first, ask questions later type of person. But it also made Yang internal smile. Yang could see it as plain as day on her on face. The girl was scared. Terrified. But it showed how much Ruby really cared about Weiss.

"Well..ermm..i guess i'm not." Ruby scratched at the back of her head, nervousness and frustration evident on her face. Suddenly her gaze shot up towards Yang like she had had a sudden epiphany. "You need to be out of here at one"

Yang's eye widened in surprise, eying up her sister with a nervous expression "What _exactly_ do you plan on doing?"

Ruby's blushed quickly returned as she realized what her sister was thinking of. "YANG! No! nothing like that, I just...don't want you barging in ruining things, thats all..."

"Oh so you think I would be ruining, "_things",_do you?" Yang said with a wicked grin, Putting emphasis on the "things"

"Yes." Ruby put bluntly. "And I don't just think. I _know_ you would" Unfortunately that one flew right over Ruby's head.

* * *

Ruby laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling, how long had she been there, a hour, maybe two? The ceiling became less and less interesting as time ticked on. The gentle patter of rain on her window kept her from drifting off. The rain was only a slight shower, but it was the only thing Ruby could hear. As time when on the sounds intensified, getting louder and louder until every raindrop sounded like the eruption of a volcano, the sounds bouncing of the wall of her bedroom. She sighed heavily, letting her eyelids fall together, she tried to sleep. Ruby lay there, her eyes gently closed and her whole body completely relaxed. Her thoughts drifted to Weiss.

The images her minded created were Ruby's dream, her reason to exist, her passion, her muse. Images of Weiss smiling. Not just the regular forced smile, but her real genuine smile. Ruby had only seen it a handful of times, but as soon as see saw it she imprinted it into her brain. That smile would melt Ruby like butter. Like butter in an oven. An oven on the sun. After the first time seeing it, she felt like she lived each day just to see that smile, and when it finally came she felt like she had been blessed by some God. It sent a smooth warmth running through her body. It set her heart on fire and made it bounce around in her ribs.

The next thing that popped into Ruby's mind was Weiss' hair. How it flowed like silk, pure white silk. It felt soft like a cloud and smooth like ice. The way it flowed in the wind was nothing short of majestic. Ruby wanted to touch it, stroke it, play with it. She wanted it to wrap around her body and cradle her in her sleep. It smelt faintly of mint. Even though the smell was only faint it was still sharp, like inhaling quickly on a cold winter mourning. One time Ruby and Weiss were particularly behind on a project and Weiss decided that it would be a good idea for her to stay at Ruby's house so they could catch up. Just before they had gone to sleep Weiss had let her hair down, and it was a sight to behold. The moment she took it out of the usual pony tail Ruby was stunned. For Ruby it felt like it was snowing all around her as Weiss' hair cascaded downwards. Ruby could actually feel snowflakes gently landing on her skin. Each one sending a shiver down her spine.

Her hands. Her hands were soft and warm, her skin was like velvet. Her touch felt comforting, protective. Her skin seemed to set Ruby's on fire, while at the same time it chilled her to the bone. They handled everything with care. As if everything was important to at least someone. Her fingers were dainty and slender. Her finger nails were perfectly trimmed and covered in a soft shade of blue. Ruby had always wanted to hold Weiss' hand but never found a opportunity. She dreamed of how Weiss' smaller hand would feel in hers. How it would feel when Weiss squeezed her hand for comfort or support. How it would feel when their fingers entwined, gliding smoothly past each other.

Her eyes. Her eyes were like walls of ice. Like glaciers high up in the mountains. They were pale and icy, but at the same time warm and gentle. They sparkled in the light like the ocean. Ruby could get lost in Weiss' eyes; even the thought of them was enough. They seemed to mesmerise Ruby, put her in some kind of trance. Sometimes they swallowed Ruby whole and sometimes they seemed like a wide open sky. Over he left eye, streaking downward like a bolt of thunder was a scar. Ruby had no idea how she got it, and she didn't intent on asking. If Weiss wanted Ruby to know she would tell her. The scar the only thing that marked her perfect complexion, even though this was the case Ruby didn't think It tarnished her astonishing beauty; in fact it was the exact opposite. The scar was a symbol, at least to Ruby, as it reminded her that not everyone was perfect, not even Weiss. And that made her more real. More flesh and bone unlike the images on the TV and internet. And that just made her beauty all the more breath-taking.

And in the end Ruby thought that phrase suited Weiss Perfectly.

_Breath-taking._

Ruby's eyes flutter open, looking to her side she glanced at her clock. It read 4:00AM

Ruby just sighed and thought to herself

"Im hopeless."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading as always, reviews appreciated.**

**Also something occurred to me while I was writing this. Ive stated that Weiss and Ruby are in there second year of "highschool" this would imply that Weiss is 15 and ruby is 13 :/. this I not what I mean't at all. Basically their in Sixth Form, which is a form of higher education in the UK which you start when your 16/17, after leaving school at 16. its unlike british colleges in that the environment is much more like school, where your treated like a child, unlike in college where you get treated more like an adult. Im from the UK and in all honesty didn't even know when you started and finished highschool so this is why I got all this confused**

**So just to clarify Weiss is 17years old. Ruby is 15 years old. And are both in their second year of this confusing form of higher education that I have created. In short their in sixth form, if you need a better explanation that mine (which I would understand) then just google it.**

**P.S sorry for the massive monologue on Weiss its just that Weiss' perfection must be described in as much detail as possibly.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Weiss!"

The word practically stormed down the halls, up the stairs and out the windows. It wasn't quite screamed, more like yelled, but the voice was stern and powerful. A small shiver ran down her spine, her body recoiled slightly as she spun around to stare towards her door, worried that the owner of the voice would come stampeding through the worn white wood . Weiss returned to the phone but spoke much lighter than before.

"Ive got to go now, I'll see you tomorrow" her voice was quiet, almost as if her words her illegal. She hung up without waiting for a replied.

Weiss looked herself over in the mirror, deciding that she looked presentable she proceeded towards her door. As she stood in front of the door she took one last breath to steady herself before she stepped out into the wilderness she called her house. As soon as she stepped outside her room a chilling sensation took over her, the cool air of the hallway practically hit her in the face. The white haired girl continued down the hallway, her pony tail perfectly aligned. Her eyes examined the halls she walked, the large white marble columns, the paintings of unknown faces on the walls and the way everything was always perfectly clean. No matter how many times she walked these halls, they always felt unfamiliar, unwelcoming, cold. But Weiss was used to it by now, this house stopped being her home when her mother died.

Weiss approached the large room they called the lobby. The doors to the house were still wide open making the room increasingly colder by the second, but Weiss wasn't too worried about that at the moment. She turned her attention to the owner of the voice. Her father was stood in the middle of the room, a impatient look on his face. His eyes were locked on Weiss before she even entered the room. His glare was stern and judgmental. Weiss didn't even get the chance to say anything before her father spoke.

"Weiss. See me in my study please." His voice was gruff and worn but his words still sounded like a command. Before waiting for Weiss to speak, he started walking towards his study. His walk was more like a stride, prideful and confident, back straight and head up. Like any Schnee. He didn't glance back at Weiss to see if she was following, his gaze clung to his study doors.

The Heiress knew that all this didn't bode well for her. Weiss and her father usually had these talks, but normally her father would return home and go straight to his study. a couple of hours later one of the maids or butlers would come to Weiss' room and request that she go see her father in his study. So this wasn't just one of their usually "talks". A small knot tied itself in the pit of Weiss' stomach, of course she didn't let it show, that would make it too easy for her father.

She followed her father towards his study, keeping her pace matched with his. Weiss examined the back of her father as she walked. His snow white hair neat and tidy, not a single hair out of place. The back of his white suit was spotless. His appearance was practically perfect, after all he would never settle for less.

Her father pulled back the heavy doors to his office with ease, leaving them open for Weiss to enter he took a seat at his desk. Weiss closed the door behind her and turned to face her father. His desk was perfectly clean, all papers stacked into the correct pile. The walls of the room lined with bookcases, not a book out of place. The fireplace was exuding a dim light, just enough so you could see well. Her father himself sat in a large leather chair behind the desk, his posture perfect. He stroked his bearded chin a few times in thought before clearing his throat.

"I heard about this Ruby girl." His voice was low, disapproval evident in his voice. "What's your relationship with her"

Weiss' reply came almost immediately, she already had expected this question from the beginning. "Ruby Rose is a...friend."

The word friend was always said with a hint of caution in the Schnee house, as friends weren't deemed necessary. But even though this was true she cringed slightly at her own words. Weiss didn't like downplaying her relationship with Ruby like this. Ruby was actually much more important to Weiss that the word friend implied.

To Weiss, Ruby was real. She wasn't just someone who wanted to be her friend because she was rich, she wasn't just some son of another rich family trying to make nice for the sake of their future companies. Those people where hollow, empty shells that only cared about themselves. When they approached Weiss, she saw through there acts and fake smiles. Weiss had seen enough of those people to spot one from a mile off.

Ruby Rose's smile was anything but fake, it was gentle and full of warmth. It's the kind of smile that makes your day just that bit better every time you see it. It was the kind of smile that makes you want to smile back. Her smile was innocent, it didn't hide anything behind it.

"A friend?" his disapproving tone telling Weiss that she would need to explain why Ruby is beneficial to her father.

"Ruby Rose has the second highest grades in the class, therefor having Ruby as a friend guaranties me a reliable partner when pair assignments are given. Also even though she may appear childish at first glance when the situation requires it she can be serious and focused."

Her words dripped from her mouth like poison, and made her sick to her stomach. Weiss' voice was analytical, like her friendship with Ruby was a business, because for her father it was. There was so much more to Ruby than her grades, but her father never cared about anything like that. She had been expecting this conversation ever since she had met Ruby, she had all the answers prepared but that didn't make it any easier to demean her relationship with Ruby like this.

"I see." her father didn't sound to convinced "You may hold this girl in high regards but I still have my doubts, and so she will be joining us for dinner tomorrow afternoon" his voice was monotone but there was a challenging glint in his eyes. Weiss accepted his little challenge. With all the confidence she could muster, she took a deep breath and replied.

"Of course father, I'll speak to Ruby and make sure she's here tomorrow."

Weiss' father just nodded his head in satisfaction.

Weiss turned on her heels without a word and strode towards the door,pulling it open. Just as she was about to leave the room just looked back at her father for a split second. The man didn't even look up at her, he was already completely engrossed in his work, furiously scribbling words on paper. Words that were more important that his own daughter.

Weiss let the door fall shut. The heavy wood slammed shut with a heavy thump. The sound of the door repeated itself in Weiss' head, it was the only thing separating her from her father yet it was like he was faceless. A stranger to Weiss.

Weiss returned to her room. Her footsteps felt heavy; her door felt heavy; her breaths felt heavy and she just wanted to sleep. Weiss quickly changed from her usual attire into her icy blue nightgown. The moon caught Weiss' eyes. The large window opposite her bed a perfect stage for the full moon that hung loosely in the sky.

The large orb that floated above the earth always amazed Weiss. The cool light exuded by the moon always seemed to calm Weiss down, but the way stars dotted the sky illuminating the moon made her eyes widen in bewilderment. The light of the moon was...modest, unlike the blinding light of the sun in the day. The dark blues surrounding the moon just made the harsh white stand out even more. The dim light of the moon was more than enough light in her life.

Her eyelids fell shut and as the light faded from her vision she couldn't help but feel like the moon reminded her of a certain red rose.

When Weiss awoke her whole body was engrossed in a chilling feeling, numbing all her senses. Her eyelids felt like cement as they fluttered open. When the light first hit her eyes it was blinding, but slowly the light seeped through her eyes. At first her vision was blurred, everything around her looked the same and her entire being felt void of energy.

Slowly she sat up and it felt like someone was drilling nails into her head, a slow dull pain coursing through her skull. Weiss brought her hands up to meet her gaze, they shook violently and her skin was pale. The surface beneath her was hard and unfamiliar, she took a look around and realized that she wasn't in her bed and was actually on the floor in the lobby.

This place was defiantly her home, although the walls, floor, marble columns, the faceless paintings were all made from a pale blue ice. Everything in the room was practically destroyed. The columns had collapsed, the walls and floors had large cracks in them and the faceless paintings were smashed on the ground, lacking images completely.

Weiss noticed one thing in the room that wasn't made of ice, a pair of large wooden doors. Something took over Weiss' body as she dragged her feet towards the doors. An overwhelming urge to reach the doors swelled inside her stomach but with each passing second the door only seemed to get further and further away. Weiss' feet started moving just that bit faster as the urge grew inside of her, and soon enough she was sprinting towards the door. She put all of her energy into her legs, pumping them vigorously. Left, right, then repeating. She didn't know why she was running, she didn't care about the burning spreading through her body. All she knew is that she had to reach those doors.

After a few minutes of this Weiss felt like she was at her limit. She felt her knees start to buckle and her breaths became ragged and panicked. With one last effort she pushed off the ground with all her might and it was right in front of her. The doors now only a few meters away. Weiss pulled open the heavy doors, illuminating the room with the light that drifted inside

It was her fathers study, except he'd never leave it in a condition like this. The desk was littered with loose papers all of them full of words that had been scribbled or crossed out. Books lay scattered across the floor, some piled high in the corners of the room. In the fireplace lay a pile of ash, a few embers still spewing forth from it.

A single red rose lay on her fathers desk. The petals a vivid crimson colour. When Weiss noticed the rose it complete fascinated her. Slowly she made her way towards the rose. She faintly grasped the stem of the rose between two fingers. The red of the rose seemed to grow more and more beautiful as the seconds ticked on. A small warmth spread through out Weiss' body; heating her numbed limbs, clearing the dull pain in her head, stopping her trembling and calming her breathing.

But that feeling didn't last long. The doors behind her swung shut with a heavy thump, that seemed to sweep the warmth away like a gust of wind. The fireplace sprung to life with a monstrous blaze, lighting the room with terrifying reds. Some of the books in the room caught fire and soon most of the room was flaming. Weiss just stood still, too petrified to even think about moving. The stem in her hands stirred into life, the thorny vine snaking around her hand and up her arm. The thorns of the rose cut deep, blood trickled down the her arm and fell silently towards the ground. But still Weiss didn't move. The pain was non-existent, all her senses too numb to feel anything at all. The rose stem continued to weave itself around Weiss' body. She felt the stem slither up her neck, then covering her mouth. Her whole body encased in the stem of the rose, thorns stabbing her from every angle, the stem snaked past her eye, one thorn caught her eye, and Weiss winced slightly from the pain. Blood seeping into her sight, blinding her, the rose stem continued and soon everything went black.

A loud rapping noise stirred Weiss from her slumber, a steely voice followed.

"Ms. Schnee, its time for you to wake up. Your violin tutor will be arriving soon and you have to be ready to go to pick up Ms. Rose for dinner"

Weiss shot forward in her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes, her mind was sent racing. Ruby was going to be having dinner with them. Ruby was going to meet her father. What if he scared her away, what if she never talks to Weiss after this. She repeated the words in her head, they stunk down into the pit of her stomach making her feel physically ill. All the panic of the previous day hitting her at once.

She roughly shook her head, half to get rid of her negativity, half to wake herself up. She slung her feet over the side of her bed and pushed herself off. After changing into her regular attire she pulled back the door. What greeted her was the face of her butler, Albert, and the first wave of pressure hit her.

Now she was under the watchful eye of one of her father's employees, now she had to be perfect.

"Good Morning Ms. Schnee." Albert greeted her like he did every day. His voice was mundane, his eyes practically dead. Any sense of emotion buried under layers and layers of facade and pretence.

"Good Morning" Weiss replied in her usual fashion, polite and proper.

Albert led Weiss down the hallway towards where her violin lesson would be taking place. After the tutor arrived the lesson began. The tutor droned on about musical structure and the importance of violin tuning although Weiss hardly paid any attention. A couple of months ago things like this would be important to Weiss, but ever since she met Ruby things like this became trivial. All the praise she got from her tutors once mean't the world to her, now all the comments are just empty words. Worthless. Now the only words she cared about came from her favourite red head.

All throughout the lesson all she though about was how she could make sure Ruby made a good impression on her father; well good enough so he doesn't kick her out right there on the spot. She ran through different possible situations in head and made sure that she would teach Ruby how to avoid everything that could anger her father.

The goodbyes of her tutor shook Weiss from her thoughts. Her mind remained engrossed with how to keep Ruby out off trouble as she strolled back to her room. As time went on her mind drifted to the nature of her thoughts. She realized she had never worried about someone like this. Usually if her father wanted to kick someone out of her life, she agreed with him. Everyone else was just a distraction, a waste of time. She was more concerned with her studies than anyone in her life. That is until Ruby Rose came into her life.

Ruby had pretty much forced her way into Weiss' life, constantly pestering Weiss with insignificant things like eating lunch together, or if they could walk home together. Weiss figured that eventually she would give, but no, Ruby Rose was the only person who kept coming back. Most people gave up after the first try, but Ruby just wouldn't give up. Slowly she chipped away at the walls Weiss had setup, and eventually Weiss decided to give her a chance. At first it was a little overwhelming, Ruby being around her every possible moment, but she soon found herself enjoying Ruby's company, even missing it when it wasn't there.

Weiss sighed, her train of thought coming to an abrupt end. Weiss glanced over at the clock that hung on her wall, it read 12:30pm. Weiss grabbed her phone and dialled the only number she knew by heart.

"Hey" the voice that picked up was weary and tired, which shocked Weiss slightly as Ruby was usually energetic and upbeat, even over the phone

"Hello Ruby, i'll be departing in a short while so I was just making sure that its still ok if I come over."

"Yeah of course"

"Okay good. Another thing I wanted to ask is do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"What!..ermm...plans, I mean...I was planning on going grocery shopping so yang didn't have too" Ruby's voice was nervous and skittish but Weiss paid no attention to it.

"Well you going to have to drop that"

"err...okay, I guess"

"Good" Weiss replied sounding satisfied.

"So, why can't I be doing anything today" Ruby's voice had returned to the usual cheery tone. "Do you want to hang out or something?"

"Yes and no, i'll tell you more about it when I get there."

"oookay then" her voice was unsure and cautious, but Weiss didn't have time to explain now.

"I'll be there soon so don't go anywhere."

"okay, bye." Weiss could almost feel Ruby's beaming smile through the phone.

"goodbye." A small, warm smile emerged as she hung up the phone.

Weiss glanced at the clock again, it now read 12:35pm. After changing into something more appropriate for the dinner, Weiss mad her way out to her limo. Sat down in the back of the limo, she buried her head in her hands and spoke in a hushed tone.

"This is going to be a disaster."

**A/n chapter 3 is here. Reviews, favourites, follows all that good stuff is appreciated**


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby carelessly tossed her phone on her bed as her eyes darted at the clock, 12:35. Pulling open her door she charged down the stairs. She had already cleaned the place significantly but decided that one last sweep of the place couldn't hurt. As she entered the living room her gaze scanned the entire room, lazily resting on places she deemed more important and therefor deserved more attention. When a messy head of yellow hair caught her eyes she stomped over furiously. Gently she tapped her sister on the shoulder and waited for her attention.

"Morin' Sis, nice weather were hav-"

Yang's words hitched in her throat at she sight of her sister's menacing glare.

"Yang. Get out. Now."

Ruby's deadpan tone caused Yang to shuffle uncomfortably, nervous under the pressure of her sister gaze. "Hey, Rubes. Why so serious" Yang tried to keep her voice casual, but failed miserably.

"Yang." Ruby's voice serious but not harsh, as if she was speaking to a child. "Do you remember what we spoke about yesterday" Ruby's hands balling into fists slightly as she became increasingly irritated.

Yang looked around unsure, but after a moment she answered. "Your gay?" A shrug accompanied her nonchalant answer.

Ruby exhaled deeply as she shook her head. "I asked you to be out of here before one."

Yang's expression relaxed back to its normal state of mellow. "Oh yeah that, I got plenty of time chill."

"Yang its..." Ruby glanced over at the clock that hung on their wall, confirming her suspicious, looking back at Yang a triumphant grin took over her. "twelve fifty."

Yang stood up casually, after stretching her arms out above her head she looked over towards the clock. "Oh, look at the time. I better get going." Yang, fighting the grin that threatened her face, walked past Ruby.

Ruby just decided to let it go, figuring it wasn't worth the effort. Slumping down on her cheap but comfortable couch, the teenager just stared absentmindedly at the wall in front of her. Weiss would be here soon and Ruby didn't really have anything to do so she just sat there, engrossed in her thoughts. At first she was thinking about what she would be having for dinner later, remembering that she still had some cookies left over and that she could have them later! Her expression lit up in a child-like manner as the though of cookies crossed her mind but slowly her expression softened as her thoughts naturally drifted to Weiss.

Ruby thought about how Weiss had changed her life already, how happy she made Ruby by just being there but it wasn't enough, Ruby needed more Weiss in her life, to be closer to Weiss. Before Weiss came into her life Ruby just let the days pass without really caring. She had friends but non really close, it was the type of friend that when you pass them in the hallway you give a quick nod or say hi. The type of friends that could just drift away without you noticing. At that time Ruby was content with her life but now that she knew what a real friend was she couldn't live without it. Weiss had shown how much a true friend cares, even if the older girl thought she hid it. Weiss hid her concern behind excuses but Ruby always saw through it. Weiss had shown Ruby that a true friend would always be there. When the nightmares got really bad Ruby would sometimes call Weiss and even at totally unreasonable hours of the night Weiss wouldn't hang up nor would she pry. She would just be there, but as much as Weiss made Ruby's life better she could also shatter it into pieces and grind it into dust.

Just as her thoughts came to a tragic end she heard Yang exiting the house, then her calling out to someone. "Sup' Ice Queen." Ruby just sighed as she made her way to the door. Yang and Weiss didn't exactly see eye to eye and it was best if they just didn't talk to each other. As she opened the door she was quite surprised by was she saw, Yang and Weiss where not arguing. Yang was continuing towards her bike and Weiss was making her way to the door. Although as Weiss got closer she seemed to be deep in though and Ruby realised that Weiss probably didn't even respond to Yang. Weiss didn't even notice Ruby as she stood at the door. Weiss was mumbling something to herself, probably trying to sort out her thoughts. Ruby just stared down at Weiss waiting for her to realise. _She's so cute._

Weiss' head snapped upwards ready to knock on the door and her face blanked for a moment. A beat passed and a warm pink spread across her face.

"Ruby!" She didn't sound mad, just surprised.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby just grinned smugly down at Weiss. She loved these moments when Weiss lost face and her emotions slipped through.

"How long have you been stood there?" Now that the initial shock had faded away, she sounded mad but It wasn't mad mad, it was Weiss mad. The type of anger that was just to hide her embarrassment. The type were her icy glare still held its usual warmth.

"Long enough to hear you mumbling to yourself." Ruby's grin just grew wider as Weiss' blushed deepened.

"Shutupyoudolt." As Weiss gently shoved passed Ruby to enter the house all Ruby could think was _yeah, so cute._

Ruby closed the door and followed Weiss into the main room of the house. When Ruby entered Weiss was just stood in the middle of the room awkwardly looking around. Ruby though that she might be nervous about something but those thoughts shattered when Weiss spoke.

"Do you even clean this place"

Ruby just smiled slightly but tried her best to sound offended. "I've been cleaning all morning, Weiss."

"Well you didn't do a very good job." Weiss' tone wasn't harsh just flat, as if she was stating fact. She ran her finger down the counter top that connected the living room and kitchen before holding it up to her face and cringing slightly in disgust.

"Oh, stop being overdramatic." Weiss looked slightly offended at this accusation and was about to speak up before Ruby cut her off. "Anyway, shall I go and get the bag now?"

A small amount of confusion washed over Weiss' face before sudden realisation hit her. "No that doesn't matter right now, theres something more importance I need to talk to you about"

"Ok..." Ruby's voice was mostly nervous but had a hit of terror in it. It wasn't like Weiss to spring stuff on her like this and the whole situation was starting to get under Ruby's skin. Ruby had a tendency to blow things completely out of proportion so ever since the phone call earlier the red head's mind had been going wild with endless possibilities, all ending badly for the younger girl. Ruby's nerves only grew as she waited for Weiss to speak, although she didn't have to wait long.

"My Father has invited you to join use for dinner today." Weiss watched Ruby carefully as her jaw dropped slightly. The younger girl was speechless, which was a bad sign. Ruby always had something to say even if it was just incoherent rambling. Weiss tried softening the blow a bit. "Of course you have the option to refuse."

Ruby sprung to life at Weiss words.

"Of course, i'd love to come for dinner...i was just...err, whats the word."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah, that...works too"

Weiss only cocked a brow at Ruby's choice of word but didn't dwell on it too much as she had much more important thing to be thinking about right now. On the other hand Ruby couldn't think of anything but what Weiss had said. Her mind was send racing. Although she was excited that she'd get to go to Weiss' house, she didn't exactly know why she was going and that made her nervous. Obviously she was going for dinner, but why was she going for dinner and why now. She had known Weiss for 6 months and now Weiss' father, the owner of a multi-million dollar company, decides that he needs to take time out of his schedule and meet Ruby Rose. And what did Weiss think about all this. Did she think it was just a nuisance, she didn't sound to excited about it and it was her fathers idea. The red head started to panic slightly, she wasn't very good in social situations like this, so the whole idea unnerved the younger girl. Ruby's mini panic attack was interrupted by the sound of Weiss' voice.

"So we need to get you ready"

"hmm? Ready for what?" Ruby's voice was distracted and distant, her mind still consumed by the thoughts of dinner at the Schnee's

"Ready for dinner of course."

Ruby just giggled slightly and flopped back down on the couch but when only silence followed she looked back to see Weiss in her usual "Weiss" stance. Arms folded across her chest; one foot edged out in front of the other and a stern glare plastered on her face. To most this would be quite intimidating but Ruby just found it terrifyingly cute.

"Oh, you weren't kidding."

"When do I ever kid." Weiss replied flatly

Ruby just grinned back at the older girl. "Guess you have a point." the red head lifted herself back up with a slight groan. She clapped her hands together to a attempt to get herself pumped up. "So whats first."

"First is greetings. When you first get there my father will definitely be there you greet you. Always address my farther as Mr. Schnee. No nicknames." Ruby just rubbed the back of her neck meekly at Weiss' comment. Obviously referring to how Ruby sometimes called Weiss princess or snowflake. The latter Weiss didn't mind too much, aside from the usual subtle blush, but she was definitely not a princess. Weiss took Ruby's weak nod as confirmation that there will be no nicknames.

"Ok, good. Now shake my hand" Weiss stuck her hand out, waiting patiently. Ruby just looked confusingly at Weiss hand, then back to Weiss' face, she didn't look like she was joking about this either. A stern looking taking over her expression.

Ruby weakly gripped Weiss' hand and shook it lazily. The heiress just looked at Ruby, slight disappointment crossing her face but Ruby was too distracted to notice. Ruby was too distracted by the feeling of Weiss' hand in hers. Weiss' hand was soft and small, and it fit perfectly in Ruby's. Just holding it like this made a subtle warmth seep through her. The fleeting sensation of warmth was what snapped her out of her trance.

"You call that a hand shake. That was pathetic."

"err well..I'm sorry?" Ruby just shrugged at the older girl but immediately regretted it as the frustration on Weiss' face grew immensely. "Ok, ok. I'll try again."

Weiss nodded slightly, satisfied.

Ruby attempted the hand shake again, this time with more strength, grasping Weiss' hand with a appropriate amount of force. Not too much force that it was painful, but enough to show confidence. A proud look adorned her face as she pulled her hand back, looking to Weiss for approval but Weiss was too distracted to react.

This time it was Weiss' turn to be in a trance. She felt the power and confidence behind Ruby's hand shake. She saw how that confidence traveled up Ruby's arm and throughout her whole body. How the red head's postured changed from the usual slumped shoulders and head down, to back straight; shoulders back and chin up. This surge of confidence took Weiss by surprise, it making Ruby seem less like the child she usually saw a more like a girl befitting her age. This sudden change in Ruby's persona had cause Weiss to pause slightly, not a big enough pause for Ruby to notice but it was definitely there.

Weiss wrenched her hand back and immediately cross her arms over her chest.

"I guess that'll have to do"

Ruby deflated slightly but Weiss decided to just press on.

"Ok. Next is dining etiquette."

A confused look crossed Ruby's feature, to which Weiss just scoffed at.

"Table manners." Weiss said flatly.

Realisation flash across Ruby's face but after a moment it turned into shy embarrassment. Ruby looked up at Weiss, a meek expression fixed on her face. Ruby's eyes were apologetic in a extremely honest way, clearly sorry that she wasn't meeting the heiress' expectations. A pang of guilt ran though Weiss but at the same time the sight of Ruby looking so shy and timid brought a soft smile to the snowy girl's face. Weiss pushed the strange feeling to the back of her mind and pushed forward.

Weiss walked into the kitchen and searched around in two different cupboards briefly. After placing a large hand-full of cutlery on the kitchen countertop that connected the two rooms, she motioned Ruby over from her place in the living room. Weiss shuffled the various pieces of cutlery around the tabletop as Ruby made her way over, putting the finishing touches on her design as the red head stared down slightly confused.

Weiss had laid out a plate, three forks to the left, three knifes and one spoon on the right and a spoon and fork above the plate. Ruby just waited patiently for Weiss to begin.

"Im only going to explain this once so listen carefully"

Ruby only nodded in response

"Ok, the fork on the far left is for eating salad, the middle for fish, the left-most fork is for the actual dinner." Weiss looked up from the counter to see Ruby staring down at it, completely focused and nodding along with everything the older girl said. Weiss smiled inwardly at the sight. The younger girl had her tongue slightly hanging from the corner of her mouth, eyes narrowed in frustration, concentration and nervousness. Weiss swelled slightly on the inside, her body relaxing before returning to her explanation. "This knife is for the dinner, this one for fish and this for salad. The spoon is for soup and the knife and fork above the plate is for dessert."

Ruby's eyes lit up at the word dessert.

Weiss just sighed dramatically

"Yes, Ruby we will be having dessert."

The excitement on Ruby's face grew, if that was possible, as her suspicions were confirmed. "This day just got one hundred times better."

Weiss just laughed out dryly before continuing. "Ruby did you remember all that?"

"uh...yeah, sure I got it." Weiss' expression quickly changed from the nonchalant expression she had a moment ago to the usual stern look.

"Ruby you need to take this seriously." Weiss' voice was back to the usual commanding tone

"What does it matter if I get the wrong fork anyway, its not like anyone will notice. You're being way too up tight about this Weiss"

"My father will notice!" Ruby's head snapped upwards to meet Weiss' gaze, jaw slightly hanging. The heiress' face was flushed red with anger, causing Ruby to wait silently for Weiss to continue. Weiss took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "My father will be looking for anything he can use against you, for any reason to kick you out of my life. I have to do everything I can to prevent that. I-I..." Weiss' voice retreated into barely a whisper, eyes dropping to the floor as her body remained completely still. In that moment she looked lifeless, like a empty shell, a husk. "...I can't lose you, I can't be alone again."

Ruby felt her heart sink in her chest. She felt the tears gather in her eyes. She couldn't say anything, she had no comforting words to offer. Without thinking about it, Ruby's arms rested on Weiss' shoulders and she gently pulled her in. At first Weiss' body was stiff, she flinched slightly at the contact but slowly she relaxing into the embrace. The white head of hair slumped on to Ruby's shoulder as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around the younger girls waist.

Ruby suddenly realised how much this was weighing down on Weiss. How all the pressure of her life has built up and how she's been balancing it all and now it all came crashing down. Ruby felt a pang of guilt wash over her. To Weiss all this was extremely important and Ruby had been treating it all like some big joke. She looked down at the girl in her arms, she was completely still. All Ruby could her was the subtle sound of Weiss' breathing. She felt the arms around her waist drop and the girl they belong to pull away slightly.

Weiss took two quick steps back, crossed her arms across her chest and looked up at Ruby with the usual glare. The only evidence of what just happened was the soft shade of pink colouring the older girls cheeks. Weiss looked up at Ruby and mimicked the soft smile that was playing on the red head's face. After a moment Weiss continued like nothing had happened.

"Ruby do you need me to go over it again?"

Ruby just nodded.

Weiss just sighed and shook her head.

After explaining the basics to Ruby over and over again she finally got the it right. A proud look adorned Weiss face at completing the task at hand. Ruby just looked drained after about one and a half hours worth of basic dinning etiquette had been drilled into her.

"Ok now we have to decide what your going to wear"

The dead look in Ruby's eyes was replace with slight panic. She looked over Weiss and saw that she wasn't in the usual White shirt and jeans. Weiss was wearing a white blouses and a pale blue skirt that end just before her knees. Her legs were slim and short, ending in a pair of white flats. Looking down at herself Ruby was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, clearly worn at the knee where they have lost their colour. A plain red shirt that she used for the odd outing, like shopping or for a run.

Ruby nodded hesitantly and led Weiss up towards her room. Opening the door she walked in, Weiss following closely behind. Weiss looked around the room, seeing all the random articles of clothing scattered around the floor.

"Well you won't be wearing any of these."

Ruby just laughed at Weiss' remark.

"Where do you keep your clothes?"

"In those draws" Ruby pointed out a set of wooden draws on the other side of the room.

Weiss made her way over to the other side room. Opening the draw she start sifting through the various shirts while Ruby just stood behind her nervously. Finding nothing she defined as suitable Weiss let out a large sigh and looked around the room in frustration. A large wardrobe in the corner of the room caught Weiss' eye. Ruby started fidgeting as Weiss began walking towards the wardrobe.

"No Wei-, Weiss theres nothing in there"

Weiss looked back at the younger girl with a smirk plastered on her face. She flung the doors to the wardrobe open, pleasantly surprise by the contents. Inside the wardrobe hung a sing red dress. Weiss pulled the dress out and ran her hand down the fabric before handing it no Ruby.

"No Weiss. I am not wearing that. I didn't even buy it, Yang got it me for christmas and I pretty sure it was a joke, I mean theres no way I can wear that, I never wear dresses. It wouldn't suit me at all" Ruby rambled out but Weiss' expression didn't change. Ruby just looked at Weiss pleading, but Weiss stood firm. After a minute Ruby took the dress from the Heiress and trudged over to the bathroom, mumbling something about how this was dumb.

After a few minutes the door opened just enough for a eye to peer out. Weiss looked over to the door to see a silver eye through the gap. Shaking her head silently Weiss walked towards the door.

"Ruby come out."

"F-fine."

the door slowly creaked open to reveal Ruby Rose. The dress was a vivid red, sharp but still warm. The shoulder-less dress framed the girl perfectly, emphasising the red heads subtle curves. The dress cut just above the knee, ending in quiet frills. A black leather belt was tied loosely around her waist.

Weiss' breath hitched in her throat for a moment, shocked by the sudden transformation. She did her best to hide it but the increasing blush betrayed her. Ruby tip-toed over to Weiss and looked down at her, waiting for her judgment.

"Y-you look...presentable" her harsh tone slipping.

"Really? Just presentable?" Ruby's tone was playful but still questioning, as if there was a hint of seriousness in her question, although she never expected a serious response.

"You look beautiful." Ruby's eyes widened in shock. Weiss' voice was dripping with affection and was barely above a whisper. Her blush had faded into a soft pink, her half lidded eyes staring up at the red head. Ruby could see that Weiss was inching closer as every second past. Ruby felt her chest tighten as Weiss' breath brushed past her face. Time seemed to stop for Ruby, on the inside she was panicking but on the outside she remains completely still, too afraid to move.

The sound of Weiss clearing her throat pieced the silence of the room as she took two quick steps back. Weiss spun around and marched towards the door. Pulling the door open she looked back at the younger girl for a split second.

"Im going downstairs, come down when your ready."

the sound of the door falling shut rang throughout the room. Ruby let out a deep breath that she thought she would have to hold forever. Ruby made her way back into the bathroom and looked into the small mirror than hung above the sink. Her face was coloured a bright red, after splashing water on her face she stared into the mirror. Her mind was racing, all she could think about was Weiss.

_What the hell was that!? What the hell just happened!?_

All Ruby could do was gaze into the mirror and repeat the same thoughts over and over. The moment just kept repeating in her head and each time it brought new questions.

_Did that actually happen?, or did I imagine it? No, no way. Did Weiss feel that too? Feel what anyway? Why am I even worrying about this? It was probably nothing. I should probably just go downstairs. Yeah, lets go._

Weiss paced back and forth in the front room of Ruby's house. Arms folded firmly across her chest, her gaze never resting on one place for too long. Her head snapped towards the door as she heard footsteps thundering down the stairs. Weiss walked into the hallway to see Ruby at the bottom of the stairs. Weiss pushed all unnecessary emotions to the back of her head for now.

"Lets go."

A sense of relief washed over the red head, thankful that Weiss wasn't acting any different. Ruby reached out to touch Weiss' shoulder, but Weiss immediately retreated from the touch, spinning around to leave. Ruby deflated slightly but followed after Weiss none the less.

After locking the door to her house she turn around to see a white limo sitting in the street. Ruby's only reaction was a muttered "oh wow." Weiss was already entering the limo through the side door, which was being held open by a small man in a suit. The man turn towards the younger girl and gave her a warm but questioning smile. Ruby shook the shock from herself and made her way

to the limo, entering the same side as Weiss had.

Weiss sat on the other side, staring lazily of the window. A uncomfortable tension hung in the air, the silence was practically suffocating. Ruby decided on just letting the silence sit.

_This is way too stressful._

_**A/n: **_**hey so here the fourth chapter, so it was a little delay because last week was deadline for my project at college so I spend a lot of time working on that. Also sorry if I messed up the clothes stuff at all, I am guy and I barely know about guys fashion never mind girls fashion so yeah sorry about that. I didn't mean to drops those two big scenes in there, this was supposed to be a laid back chapter when nothing much happened but that when down the drain fast. **

**Again thanks to KillerKlown12 for beta-reader this. Check em out they.**

**Also if ya wanna follow my on tumblr its .com (theres also a link in my profile)**

**thanks for reading, review, favourites and follows appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of rain crashing against the windows of the limo was the only sound that could be heard. It overpowered the soft hum of the engine, it overpowered the quite breathing of the two girls, it overpowered the sound of tires rolling over concrete. All the clouds in the sky had knitted together forming a blank canvas of grey that stretched out over the earth.

Weiss hadn't turned from the window since getting in the limo but Ruby could see the scowl reflected in the window. Ruby had stayed silent up to now because she decided that letting Weiss cool off was the best thing to do, even though she had no idea what she did wrong in the first place. She just sighed out tiredly, her head slumping forward, colliding with the cool glass of the window with a small thump. The cool sensation causing her to shiver slightly, a chilling jolt of energy was sent flowing through her.

The sound of tires screeching against asphalt rung through the air, causing Ruby to wince at the unexpected sound. She looked out of the window to see the Schnee household hiding behind the smokey fog, towering over them. After getting out of the limo the house looked less like a house and more like a national treasure.

Grand pillars of marble rose upwards, supporting balconies decorated like palaces. Large windows allow light to drift measly into the house but at the moment the thickening fog obstructed the view. The house was surrounded by lush greenery, stretching out as for at least a mile. Vibrant colours dotted the land where flowers had been planted. The doors where enormous, carved into was a intricate pattern of snowflakes and around the edge it was line with polished gold. Weiss swung the doors open like they where nothing.

The inside was even more extravagant, the front room the size of a normal house. The floors were lined with crimson red carpet cut off just before the walls to reveal a harsh marble floor. Across the room was a double staircase, one on each wall. They were precisely cut from a pure white marble. The railing leading up the stairs was covered with golden patterns and harsh platinum curves joining together to form beautiful designs. Portraits hung on the walls, expertly painted with vivid colours and deep tones. Ruby could only gape and gawk at the room, a few quiet _oohs_ and _aahs_ escaping her grasp.

As Ruby entered she couldn't stop her curious gaze from tearing through the house, scanning every possible inch of the room. Her head jerked from side to side as something new caught her prying eyes. Eventually she caught the sight of Weiss' scowl, clearly irritated by the Red heads actions but Ruby was quick to defend herself.

"Come on Weiss, can't I enjoy this? Even just a little bit?" A pout now adorning Ruby's face but Weiss wouldn't even look in her direction, her eyes perfectly tailored to the door atop the stairs.

Just as Ruby was about to speak two doors crashed open. Her gaze flung towards the top of the stairs were two large door were now open, standing in them was a man. A sense of dread took over Ruby. She was almost certain that he was Weiss father, after all he just looked like a older, male version of Weiss.

"Welcome" His voice boomed throughout the room, seemingly louder that what was humanly possible. His voice was strong and commanding, regal even. Ruby had gotten a small taste of his voice over the phone but this was something else.

He slowly made his way down the staircase, his hand lightly gliding down the railing parallel to him. His footsteps were heavy and travelled all the way across the empty room. His black shoes perfectly polished and a harsh contrast to the pristine white of his suit. After reaching the bottom of the stairs he strode over to the two girls, addressing them promptly.

"Ruby Rose I presume, glad you could make it for dinner" A wide businessman smile was showing on his face. He sharply thrusted his hand out in front of the red head, waiting expectantly.

"Thank you for having me Mr. Schnee" Ruby replied in the most polite tone she could muster. After providing Mr. Schnee with the best handshake she could manage she looked to Weiss searching for approval. The red head's glance was meet with a satisfactory nod from Weiss, a proud smile adorning her lips.

"It's no problem at all, any friend of Weiss' is welcome here." Weiss scowl intensified at the obvious facade her father was putting on. He was always like this, two faced. When anyone outside of the family was around he would but on this nice host act but it was in the shadow, were nobody saw, that his true personality shone through.

"Father, if you'll excuse us i'd like to show Ruby around a bit." Weiss said, a bit of her hidden venom seeping into her words.

"Of course, I expect to see you at six o'clock sharp for dinner." Her father mimicked her tone, an obvious challenge to Weiss.

"Of course" Weiss replied mimicking her Fathers words, accepting his challenge.

With that she turned to leave, not even giving her father the satisfaction of a second glance. She had grabbed Ruby's hand in the process and was now dragging her in tow. She dragged the unfortunate red head to the outer rooms of the house, the further away from that man the better. A door caught her eye and she decided that it would be as good place as any to start the "_tour"_

Weiss flung the door open without mentioning what was behind as the contents of this room were unknown even to her. The Schnee manor was so big, had so many room that there was no way anyone could learn them all. As she looked around the newly found room she easy recognised it as a portrait room of some sorts.

Extravagant paintings hung on all four walls of the room, surrounding them with unknown faces. Weiss turned around to see Ruby, wide eyed, amazed by the expertly crafted works of art. Weiss was used to stuff like this so now she didn't even bat an eye, now numb to all the prestige and extravagance her life came with.

"These are amazing!" the red head said, the amazement that was clear on her face now enforced by her tone. Weiss didn't understand what the big deal was, but the look on Ruby's face right now was all she really cared about. That look of child-like wonder, the look of excitement. It made a little fire flicker into life inside of the icy girl.

Weiss let this moment seep in, looking on at the girl with a soft smile on her lips. She didn't want to interrupt the girl and her fit of amusement but she didn't want to waste all of her time before dinner in here. After a moment she decided it was time to herd the overly excited girl out of the room and on to the next.

"Come on Ruby, theres more to see." The heiress called out as she was leaving the room. The sound of the red head scrambling to catch up, calling out for her to wait made a her small smile turn into a grin. When Ruby caught up Weiss turned to the younger girl, catching a glimpse of her pout before she entered another room.

After half an hour Weiss had shown Ruby most of the rooms that held any interest, the rest were just spare rooms, but she had saved the best for last. She had saved the room she knew that Ruby would enjoy the most.

Weiss shoved open the large double doors that hid the room, moving out of the way so Ruby could go in first. She wanted to see the look on the red heads face, she wanted to see her eyes light up like fireworks. She wanted to see the ear to ear smile.

Ruby took small, careful steps into the large room, a bit worried about the room after she saw the grin on Weiss' face, but once she got in the room as her doubts melted away. The room was massive, the largest room so far besides the entrance. The room was lit by small lights that jutted out from the walls and a large fireplace surround by expensive looking leather chairs. The fire place roared with a wild flame, making the area around it glow in the shallow darkness of the room. Shelves and shelves full to the brim with books filled the room.

It was a library, the Schnee family library. Ruby looked around in amazement, not knowing where to stop her gaze. Her jaw practically hit the floor, hanging open in excitement. She had never seen anything like it. The red head did her fair share of reading but books were expensive and her collection was no where near as amazing as this one.

The younger girl looked back at Weiss with a pleading look on her face, having to hold herself back from bolting off into the maze of books. Weiss just gave a nod to the girl, who looked like she was about to snap and with that small confirmation the girl took off. Weiss just leisurely strolled over to one of the chairs and took a seat.

Every now and again she would hear Ruby call out when she found a book she had heard about or wanted to read. Weiss just relaxed into the chair, not paying much attention to her friend bounding off the walls.

Eventually Ruby joined Weiss in the reading area. Weiss just looked up at the girl who was stood up in the middle of the small area, her gaze flicking between an empty chair and Weiss, expression screwed up in thought. After a moment Ruby started walking towards the Heiress a huge grin on her face.

Ruby practically Jumped into the seat, squishing herself between the arm of the large chair and Weiss. The red head wiggled around in the seat, Weiss having to press herself against the opposite arm of the chair. After a moment of this Weiss decide to ask what the hell Ruby was doing.

"Ruby." The heiress spoke flatly, clearly not happy with whatever Ruby was trying to do.

"Yessss?" The younger girl put on her best sweat, innocent voice but that didn't phase Weiss in the slightest.

"May I ask what you are doing"

The red head gave this a bit of though but then answered "I'm sitting."

Weiss felt her frustration grow at the red heads words, but wasn't about to give up just yet. "Ruby you do realise that there are other chairs" Weiss spoke in a patronising tone, figuring that getting angry would do her much good.

"Yeah, of course I do...i just wanted to be near you" Ruby's voice had retreated into itself slightly, shyness getting the better of her. A small blush appearing on the girls face. Her tone was extremely honest and innocent, and Weiss couldn't help the heat that rose to her face after hearing it. After that Weiss stopped her protests and gave Ruby space to sit next to her.

The two girls just sat in silence, Ruby eagerly scanning each page with the utmost concentration, Weiss trying to distract herself from the closeness. Weiss sat there, staring at the calm fire trying to block everything out about the girl sat next to her.

She tried to block out the warmth she felt from the girl beside her. Ignore the sound of subtle breaths that she could hear behind the crackle of the fire. Neglect the strange sensation that was bubbling inside her. She tried to ignore the thoughts forcing themselves into Weiss' mind, But she couldn't

So she sat there, In the quiet room, the only sounds to accompany her, the hiss of the fire and the sweat breaths of the girl next to her. She watched as the seconds ticked by, each one seeming longer than the last. As time crawled by the strange sensation inside of Weiss didn't die down it just carried on, it just settled in and made itself at home.

Weiss took a peek at the book her companion was reading and recognised it instantly. It was a book the heiress had read a lot as a kid. It was a book about creatures of darkness called Grimm and the defenders of the light, the hunters and huntresses. She looked up at the red head, her face alight with joy, completely absorbed by the book.

Weiss eventually got used to the closeness and got comfortable, settling into the large seat. Her eyes were glued to Ruby, the red head too focused on the book to notice Weiss' lingering stares. Weiss just look on fondly at the girl that meant so much to her, realising that it could all end because of this dinner, realising that moments like this should be treasured, as Weiss may never get to experience something like this again.

Eventually the clock hand had neared the six and Weiss decided that they should be going now. With a sigh she pushed herself up from the chair, Ruby noticed the movement from the heiress and was now looking up at the usually much shorter girl. Weiss looked down at the girl, a bit reluctant to break this casual silence that had occurred, but she knew that eventually they would have to face her father.

"Come on Ruby, we don't want to be late." Weiss' tone didn't contain the usual harshness, it wasn't the usual condescending voice, it was soft and gently. It was affectionate and quiet, some of the warmth from the previous moments still lingering in her.

"Awww, really, can't I just finish this chapter. Please Weiss?" Her voice was child-like as she stared up at Weiss with puppy dog eyes but Weiss had prepared and perfected this day too much for it too be ruin by that. Just this once she could withstand the red heads famous puppy dog eyes.

"No you dunce, we need to go now. You can carry on reading next time." A bit of the usual cold had seeped back into Weiss' voice but the second half of the sentence was said with a bit of sadness. Her frustration rising but thankfully the her companion complied, closing the book and returning it to the shelves, she then joined Weiss at the exit, slightly deflated. Weiss took no notice of her friends childish sadness as she led Ruby to the dinner hall.

Ruby followed the older girl down the long halls of the Schnee manor, completely focused on the head of snow white hair in front of her. The red head never fell two steps behind Weiss, ready to face this dinner that Weiss had been so worried about. Eventually Weiss stopped in front of a pair of doors, the heiress turning to face Ruby but just got a comforting smile in return for her worry. With a small nod Weiss turned back to the doors and pushed them open.

Ruby was amazed as she took her first step into the large dining hall. Looking from left to right, the hall seemed endless, the table spanning almost the entire length of the room. The room was decorated to an even higher level than all the previous rooms, expensive decorations lining the edge of the room. The table itself could seat at least two dozen people, each chair perfectly spaced, perfectly carved from a dark wood, red cushions sown onto them. A pure white table cloth draped down and gathered on the floor of the room hiding the under of the table. Multiple candle stand were placed on top of the table, each holding unlit candles at the situation didn't deem them necessary. Intricate chandeliers hung over the table, showering the room in light. Over all the room was astonishing, Ruby had never seen anything close to this.

But when she noticed the man sat at the head of the table, everything else seemed meaningless, all the extravagance and wonder being replace by a unnerving fear. The man sat with utter confidence, his voice travelled through the room with ease, his perfectly controlled tone only making the fear inside Ruby grow slightly. The look in his eyes was like a predator, a predator stalking his prey, a predator just before the kill.

"I'm glad you made it on time" His voice was friendly and inviting, but that was just to hide the malice and hatred. Fortunately for Ruby, Weiss didn't seem as paralysed as her and did the talking for now.

"Of course father, we wouldn't dare be late." Her voice matched his, using the same veteran technique of hiding her true emotions that would of slipped in her voice. The two Schnees exchanged icy glares before Weiss led Ruby towards the seats. Ruby took the seat with a meek thank you, Weiss taking the seat next to the red head.

The room was consumed with silence, an uncomfortable, eerie feeling hanging over the room. Ruby gave a glance to Mr. Schnee, who returned the glance with a smile, but that smile didn't comfort her like Weiss' would, instead it sent a chilling jolt throughout her body. Fear rooted her feet to the ground, she wanted to run but she couldn't, she had to stay.

"So Ms. Rose..." His voice cut through the room like a knife, Ruby's eyes widening to the sudden voice. This was it, the beginning of the end. "How do you like my home" A wave of relief washed through the red head, relived the question wasn't really about her, this question she could answer without a problem.

"It's amazing, really beautiful. It'd be so cool to live here." Ruby said with honestly. She really did think that the Schnee manor was amazing. She looked over to Weiss for approval and got a nod in return, showing that her answer was acceptable.

"Yes It is isn't it. I designed a lot of it myself you know." He spoke with completely confidence, although his voice didn't sound boastful, just proud. Proud of the life he had achieved, proud of what he accomplished and where he had ended up. Something Ruby could respect.

"Wow, Thats awesome." Ruby's words were rush, her excitement getting the better of her. Weiss gave her a little scolding nudge with her elbow, which made the red head flinch slightly but she quickly regained a calm face.

Mr Schnee cleared his throat before speaking, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes, it is..._awesome._" that last word said with a pinch of disdain. Ruby deflated slightly, disappointed in herself, she had thought that this dinner would go without a hitch but she realised that it may be harder than she thought. Mr. Schnee continued talking, not waiting to see if anyone else had anything else to say.

"Anyway, What do your parents do?" Weiss' heart sunk slightly, flicking her head to the side to see the red head reaction. She mentally scolded herself when she saw the younger girl's expression crack and snap, deflating like a popped ballon. Weiss wished she had warned him about that, not for him but for Ruby.

"My mother and father...died, when I was young." Ruby forced out, looking up at the man with snowy withered hair, sadness weaved into her expression, the man offered a solemn look to the young girl. Weiss' panic subsided slightly, happy that her father didn't push the issue. He may be selfish and unreasonable but at least he wasn't heartless.

"I see, I'm sorry" he offered a nod with his words of comfort. He looked genuinely saddened by what Ruby had said. Ruby's lips tugged up slightly in a sad smile, oddly comforted by the mans words.

The sound of plate clashing together could be hear from another room. A moment passed and a dozen of people flooded out of the small door in the corner of the room, all carrying plates full of food. After a short while the table was set, covered in fancy looking dishes and perfectly prepares food.

Ruby looked down at the meal in front of her, it looked good enough even though she had no idea what it was. She looked over the table to see that Weiss had already started eat, the heiress cutting her food into bite-sized portions before placing them carefully in her mouth. Ruby returned her attention to her meal, figuring it would be rude to ignore it for too long.

Ruby ate her meal in silence, the only sounds in the room were that of knifes and forks hitting plates. The meal was delicious, the red head had never eaten anything even half as tasteful as that, not even cookies could compare. Ruby finished her meal with a satisfactory sigh, putting her cutlery down on her plate she looked up the table.

Mr. Schnee had already finished his meal. His elbows with resting on the table, one either side of his now clean plate. His hands were brought together, fingers locked between each other just beneath his chin. He looked at the young girl expectantly.

"So Ms. Rose, did you enjoy your meal?" Mr. Schnee spoke out of obligation, like he was playing the friendly host.

Ruby just nodded excitedly which the man didn't seem to happy about, he was expecting a proper response. He looked at the girl for at while, seeming to be thinking something over in his head. After a moment he stood up and spoke.

"Okay, i've seen enough" A jolt of panic was send through Weiss, she knew what was about to happen. She just kept her gaze on the wall in front of her, too scared to even look at her father because she knew that as soon as she saw her father she would know what he thought. She would know wether Ruby would be kicked out of her life or not.

"Ms. Rose I don't think your any good for my daughter so please don't contact her anymore. Thank you" And with that Weiss' heart fell from its place in her cheat, plummeting into an abyss. She knew she could argue, and she will, but she also knew that it would do nothing, she knew that nothing would be able to change his mind. It would take a miracle. He turned to walk away without a second though, Weiss was about to speak up but something unexpected happened.

She heard hands slamming down on the table next to her, Shaking the entire table and all its contents. Turning her head she was met by Ruby's eyes. Determination filled her silver orbs, a stern look on her face. Her eyebrows knitted together in frustration and anger.

"I'm sorry Mr. Schnee but I cant do that." Ruby's voice was filled with confidence, a new found courage emanating from the girl. A strange sensation started to swirl inside Weiss, similar to when she shook Ruby's hand. Weiss' father had stopped at the sound of Ruby's voice.

"Oh? And why not?" He didn't even turn around while he spoke, only looked over this shoulder. His voice was playful. Like this was all a big game to him, like they were just pieces on the game board. They mean't nothing to him and in his word they couldn't defy him.

"Because I love your daughter..." A incredible weight lifted off the young girl's shoulders, like someone had just picked up all of her problem and threw them out of the window. Weiss' shock just increase, she felt that strange sensation inside of her erupt and spread around her body, reaching the the tips of her fingers. She just stared up at the red head, unable to look anywhere else. She watched as Ruby's gaze met hers. She watched as a soft smile appeared on her lips. She watched as tears began to gather in her eyes. She watched as she opened her mouth to speak.

"...Without Weiss I don't know what I would do...without out Weiss I would wither away."

Mr. Schnee was now fully turned around, facing the girl who had just confessed her love for his daughter. His playful smile had vanished replaced by a stern expression. He looked at the girl with unreadable eyes. After a moment of thought he spoke.

"I think you should leave now Ms. Rose."

Ruby looked to Weiss, desperate breath spilling from her lungs but the heiress said nothing, she just stared blankly into space. She looked at Weiss in silence, a pleading expression on her face. All she could do was look, she had no words. She just waited for Weiss to say something, but nothing came.

Ruby turned to leave. She walked alone down the hallways of Schnee manor. These hallways that, just a hour ago, were filled with wonder, were now just cold and unwelcoming. She walked alone to the front door.

She left alone. She felt alone.

She was alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Weiss whipped her head round to see Ruby disappear through the door. She felt a strange sensation of emptiness as she considered her life without Ruby. For a second she thought about running after her, for a small moment she considered letting go of all her pride and chasing after her friend but stopped herself with excuses like 'she's faster than me', and 'she probably wouldn't stop even if I called after her'. But it was something else as well, something instinctive rooted her feet to the ground, keeping her in her seat, keeping her from chasing Ruby. No matter how much she wanted to she couldn't bring herself to get out of that chair.

She stared longingly after the girl, hoping, wishing that she could come back so Weiss could talk to her. Then somehow Weiss would make sure that they would remain friends. Somehow Weiss would make sure that she would still be able to see the red haired ball of energy, but as the seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into more minutes she had to accept her fate and turn back to her father. She had to accept that she wouldn't come back.

She returned her focus to her father. He stood at the end of the table, his expression mostly neutral but she could see that satisfied glint in his eyes. That half smile of victory. It sickened her. In this moment she felt more rage than she had in her entire life. She hated it and even more so she hated him. The fact that she hated her father with a white hot passion made her stomach churn but she couldn't deny the feeling she got just from looking at him, that feeling of absolute disgust, of pure hatred, of unrefined anger. She didn't want to hate him but he made it so difficult. He had made it near impossible to do anything but hate him and it had took all of Weiss' willpower not to but this was the point she snapped, the point where she could put up with him no longer.

"Why?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. Her words were soaked in venom, she had no intention in hiding her emotions, no intention of being anything but blunt. Her eyes hardened, narrowing into a glare, eyebrows knitting together as a show of her frustration. Her hands trembled slightly with anger, her finger nails dug into her palms, hands tightly pressing into fists, struggling to suppress her infinite anger. She could barely hold back her voice. She so desperately wanted to unleash a torrent of angry words, but she knew that wasn't the way to deal with her father. As soon as she lost her cool her father had won. Although she wasn't sure how long she could hold back her anger.

"Why what?" her father asked back. Returning her question with one of his own, boasting his victory as much as possible. He was dangling it right in front of her face, taunting her with it like it was some kind of trophy. His eyes were playful, like this was nothing to him, like none of it actually mattered and it didn't. All that mattered in his world was himself, he felt nothing for anyone else, no sympathy, no empathy, like they were just hollow chess piece for him to manipulate and eventually sacrifice for his own gain.

Why?!" She shouted back. Her stern expression had no shifted to one of rage, eyes wide and full of fury. Weiss wasn't one to shout and it caught even her father off guard, surprised by her strong retaliation. "Why would you kick her out like that!?" She couldn't fight back the anger in her voice. She had never felt so blinded by rage. She had even surprised herself with her actions. She knew she cared about Ruby more than anyone but she had never realized just how strongly she cared for the younger girl. The old saying comes into play here. You never know what you have until its gone and now that Ruby was gone Weiss realized just how right that saying was.

"Oh, I'm sorry Weiss..." he said in a mocking tone. "...did I ruin your little friendship? Or is it that you actually planned on dating that girl?" His last words were said with a mixture of disgust and anger. It's not that her father disapproved of homosexuality, whatever people did in their own life were not his to decide as he said many times, but Weiss was in his life. He wanted to be able to control Weiss completely. He wanted Weiss to be a good little girl and marry a rich, handsome boy from another company, one that would provide him with a suitable heir. Her dating a girl would be a major setback in this game he played called life.

At his question Weiss had to genuinely think. At this point her thoughts were all over the place, completely caught off caught by the confession of her best friend. She couldn't say yes, but she knew the answer wasn't no. There was something stopping her from that path. Something deep down that stopped her from saying anything. She had no idea how she felt about Ruby right now, all she knew for sure is that she didn't want to say no. So she didn't

"Maybe." Her father looked shocked for a moment but his expression soon shifted to anger, he was about to speak but Weiss cut him off. "The one thing I know for sure is that you definitely don't have the right to decide for me." This was one thing that she wasn't going to let her father control, she didn't want to live the rest of her life knowing that she gave up the closest bond she had ever had simply because her father didn't like it. She wanted to live her own life for once instead of letting him dictate her every move. She wanted to feeling like she was in control for once, like she was making her own decisions.

With that her father's expression cracked. Fury, anger, rage all screaming from his eyes but his face kept calm. That was the terrifying thing about him. He could keep all him emotions perfectly hidden. Weiss wasn't going to let this stop her. It had happened far too many times before, she wasn't going to let it happen this time. This time it was too important. This time it was Ruby.

"Weiss Schnee. There is no way I will let you date that girl. As long as you are my daughter, you will do as I say."

And Weiss just snapped. She completely lost control of her emotions. Weiss realized that sometimes you have to stand up for what you want and to be close to Ruby was something that Weiss wanted. Whether she wanted more was something she could figure out when she had it within her grasp.

"Well maybe I don't want to be your daughter!"

Weiss kept a stern face while saying this but on the inside she felt like she had collapsed in on herself. She watched as the cracks in her fathers expression turned into gaping fissures but this time anger didn't surface. Pain did. Pain was something she had never seen from her Father before, she thought he was made of stone, never to let an unnecessary emotion slip. But then she realized that this was probably just another one of his tricks, another way to keep her under control. Weiss didn't feel guilt. She stared at the man, her expression unfaltering. She didn't feel any sympathy for this man. Not anymore. Maybe before this dinner there was a shred of care still left but now there was nothing. She turned, with one last word she left the room.

"Goodbye."

Weiss immediately made a turn for her room to pack some things. She didn't want to stay here, not anymore, not with him. She didn't know where she would go, but she could figure it out later. Actually she did know where she would be going first. There was one place she wanted to go before anywhere else, there was one place she needed to go before anywhere else.

She heard her father calling out to her from the room behind here, but it wasn't the usual thing you hear for a parent who was just told their child was leaving. It wasn't the expected _please don't leave_ or _I'm sorry_. It was something more befitting of her father. Something cold, heartless and harsh. Something that Weiss would remember for the rest of her life.

"You won't last a day." He said, his tone soaked with bitterness.

At this point he was just adding fuel to the fire, spurring her on and he knew it. He just wanted to be more right when Weiss came back but with every word her determination grew. With every step she took she felt more and more confident. A kind of confidence that she didn't even know she had started to surface. A confidence in herself instead of just in her family name.

Weiss just increased her pace, soon reaching her room. She grabbed a empty gym bag from her closet angrily tossing it onto her bed she started packing. She packed a few sets of clothes as well as a change of shoes and her laptop while making sure she had her phone in her pocket.

Without any hesitation she made her way to the front room of the house, the maze of long halls still as unfamiliar as ever. When she emerged in the wide open space, she went straight for the entrance, pulling opened the large, heavy door she once welcomed, she looked out into the world. A hint of fear crept up on her, a lapse in confidence. She took one last look behind her but what she saw made that fear vanish, completely reassured her of her decision to leave this hell hole she once called home.

Her father was standing on the balcony, in front of his study. He made no attempts to stop Weiss. He said nothing. His expression was calm, uncaring. After a few seconds he turned, opening the doors to his study, he entered. Disappearing behind the large wooden doors.

With that Weiss took her first step outside of the house. At first she just wanted to be further away from that house. Further away from him. So she just made her way down the winding path towards the gates, not really having a plan for where she would go when she got there. The gates to the house felt heavier than usual. That's all she could think as she pulled back that large fancy gate.

As she took her first steps outside of the gates she felt the overwhelming urge to cry, now that she was actually out, now that it felt real. But if she did that then what was the point?

If she cried now then what was the point of all of this. If she cried now she would just be weak. If she cried now her father would have already won. Then what would be the point? There would be no point. It would just be another meaningless waste of energy, another time for him to be proven right; but Weiss wasn't ready to let that happen. She didn't even allow herself the comfort of looking back on the house. That would also mean she was weak. It would show that she didn't really want this. That she need that house, that life.

She quickened her pace, desperation growing and panic seeping in. Her vision blurred but she held back her tears with everything she had. She walked aimlessly down random streets, feeling lost even though she knew exactly where she was. She had walked down these streets many times before, she had seen all of these houses before yet non looked familiar.

Eventually she reached a park she had past many times. For a moment she just stared into the park, her gaze seeing past all trees and shrubs to a park bench that sat on the edge of the water. She lazily made her way over the lone bench, every step made it look more comfortable. Finally reaching the bench she lazily slumped down.

Usually when Weiss sat it would be with proper posture or else she would be scolded by her father, but as she sat slumped on some random bench she felt an incredible weight lift off her shoulders, like she was actually free from all annoyances that the prestigious Schnee name came with. Free from the iron fisted rule of her father.

For a while she just sat on the bench, staring at the still water, watching the cloud drift past in the faded reflection. She knew she had to get up soon, she knew that she would have to keep walking, she knew that if she just stayed there then eventually she would want to turn around. Even if it was just aimless wandering she would have to continue, but for just this moment she could sit and enjoy her newly found freedom.

Even though she had only been walking for a while her feet ached with a numbing pain. Each step felt like a hike up a mountain, like she was walking across dull glass but with every step the suffocating feeling released it grasp on her slightly. With every step she knew she was one step further away from her father.

After a minute of peace Weiss pushed herself up off the bench with a small sigh, ready to continue her aimless wandering but it was different this time. This time her steps weren't rushed and eager, they were slow and nonchalant. Her breaths weren't ragged and panicked, there were relaxed and even. She walked towards something instead of away.

She lazily made her way out of the small park. Without even thinking about it she made a right turn, walking with a sense of newfound purpose. For a while she just walked through the maze of unfamiliar streets and repeating houses. She didn't even need to think about where she was going, her feat just carried her to where she needed to be. Eventually she reached her much desired destination as she started down a recognizable street.

One house caught her eyes. It was familiar yet she didn't recognize it fully straight away. The worn wood of the door. The motorbike tracks in front of the house. The familiar red curtains hanging in the window. The way the house just felt like a home.

All of this was the complete opposite to her house.

It was like her house was some kind of museum. Somewhere for her father to show things off, her being one of them. Her house felt impersonal and cold, like it belonged to no one in particular. Like she was just staying in that house instead of living there. It was a strange feeling knowing she felt more at home at Ruby's house than she ever did in her own, but not an unwelcome one.

She felt a drop land on her head, felt the cold of the rain spread throughout her. She looked towards the dark greys of the sky waiting for the inevitable. She watched as rain drops started to fall. She watched as more started appearing out of nowhere. Each one faster that the last until it was like an onslaught from the heavens, heavy raindrops fell.

Weiss felt the delicate rain shatter as it landed on her face, her neck tilted backward to stare up into the endless grey.

She let out a dry laugh and mumbled.

"How fitting."

* * *

Ruby had flung the door open in a fit of rage, trying to subdue her increasing anger. After just a short moment she slammed the door behind her, alerting anyone and everyone in the house. She stormed past the front room, seeing a curious Yang sat on the couch looking over her shoulder she increased her pace as she charged up the stair. She heard Yang calling out from the bottom of the stairs but she just continued on.

Only when she was in the solitary of her own room did she feel her anger drown in gut-wrenching pain. Only then did she feel the tears fall. She crashed against the hard wooden surface of her door and slowly slid to the floor, unwilling to make the effort to reach her bed. So she just sat against her door with her knees against her chest, face buried in her hands, desperately trying wipe the tears from her eyes, shoulders shaking as soft sobs escaped her.

She felt her stomach twist tighter and tighter as every second past. It felt like someone had reached inside her chest and had her heart in their hand, she felt like that person had the choice whether or not to crush her heart between their fingers

A few knocks soft knocks came from behind her and she instantly answered them, confident that she knew why she was here.

"Go away Yang." She said, her voice hoarse and words forced but they still had a sharp edge to them. She didn't want to see anyone right now, she just wanted to drown in her own self-pity, but she knew that Yang wouldn't give up that easily, because that's just how Yang is. Yang was always there no matter what and she wouldn't go away until she knew that everything was okay again,

"Ruby, please come out." Yang had no intention of going away anytime soon and she made that clear in her tone of voice. Ruby almost felt a chuckle coming on as she thought about how amazing her sister was but she wasn't ready to give in yet, she felt like this was much too important and somehow it felt right to sulk for a while before she actually talked about.

"Please Yang, I just wanna be alone." This time her words weren't angry or harsh, they were more like a plea, like she was begging Yang to just drop it for a while. She knew that talking to Yang was probably the best thing to but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Not right now, the pain was to fresh, too real right now.

"Ok..." Yang said slightly dejected and Ruby instinctive let a sigh of relief "...but I'm going to be waiting right outside this door for when you're ready to talk." A small thump on the other side of the door told Ruby that Yang wasn't kidding. Ruby let a grin appear on her face, feeling a slight warmth from her sisters actions, reminding her that she would never be completely alone. There would always be Yang.

"Thanks." She whispered but she was pretty sure Yang caught it.

And so Ruby returned to the uncomfortable silence that she was once consumed by. She just stared up at her ceiling, tears staining her cheeks. She couldn't cry anymore. She had used up all of her tears at once. So she just stared up at the blank ceiling her mind just as blank. A soft smile crept up on her as she came to a realization.

She realized that eventually the pain would stop but the memories she had of Weiss and herself would always be there. And she knew that she would be able to look back on those memories fondly and always remember the first person she fell in love with.

She looked back over her memories with Weiss. She felt tears gather in her eyes again, but this time they didn't sting. She smiled softly to herself as she relived all of her favourite moments with her favourite Heiress.

She remembered the exact moment she realized she was in love with Weiss. It replayed vividly in her mind, like it was a movie. She remembered exactly how she felt. She remembered the confusion, the excitement, the slight pang of guilt, but most of all the over-whelming warmth. How it hit her square in the face without warning, a completely unseen rush of emotion.

She remembered being in her room with Weiss. They were studying for a test together that counted for half their grade but Ruby was too busy flipping her pen around her thumb to even think about taking studying seriously. When Weiss caught sight of this she wasn't too happy.

"Ruby, what do you think you're doing?" Weiss said, genuine anger in her tone, glaring across the room to the nonchalant red head. The seriousness of Weiss' tone caught Ruby slightly off guard but she had just the thing for this.

"Err...Studying?" Ruby gave her best puppy dog eyes and tried to sound as innocent as possible. Weiss could never resist Ruby's puppy dog eyes and she had planned to take advantage of that every chance she got. But even Ruby's best attempts didn't slow Weiss down and it was at this point the crimson girl realized that there was something wrong.

Weiss stomped her way across the room, closing the distance between the two girls in no time at all. She leaned over Ruby's shoulder to see her work and sighed at the blank sheet. In that moment Ruby felt her heart stop and her breath catch in her throat. Weiss was so close, she could feel light breaths graze her cheek. Ruby had never seen Weiss this close before and she realized just how beautiful her friend actually was. But that was only half of it.

When Weiss pulled away Ruby let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. Weiss was now just standing in the middle of the room a disapproving look on her face staring down at the girl before her, but Ruby couldn't let go off that moment, she couldn't forget that Weiss was easily the most beautiful person she had ever seen. But what Weiss said next made a flood of warmth rush into the younger girl.

"Ruby, this test is worth half of your grade. You need to study, if your grades slip...w-we may not be able to go to college together." The last part of her sentence was said much quieter than the first, a light blush tinting her cheeks, her head turned slightly away from the girl in front of her. She looked nervous, like she was expecting Ruby to laugh in her face. Like she still expected to be turned away even now.

And that was moment Ruby truly realized her feeling for the heiress. It was such a small thing, something that most people would say offhandedly but Weiss wasn't like that. She would never say something like that without a second though. Weiss wouldn't just say something like that to anyone. Weiss usually wouldn't put up with people for more than ten minutes and here she was saying that she wanted to spend four years of her life with Ruby. It showed Ruby just how much Weiss actually cared for her. That behind all the blunt insults and cold looks Weiss actually enjoyed being around Ruby.

Ruby realized just how much time she had been spending with Weiss over the last couple of months. Just how close the two had become without even really realizing it. If you looked at their relationship from the outside it wouldn't seem like anything special but Weiss was the most important person to Ruby and the red head liked to think that Weiss would say the same about her if it came down to it.

When she imagined what her life would be like if she and Weiss went to different colleges, She imagine that they would only be able to see each other when they had time off. That they could only talk to each other over the internet. That eventually they would grow apart and she hated the thought.

"B-but Weiss...I wanna go to college with you." Ruby blurted out shooting up from her chair, she wrapped her arms around a surprised Weiss, holding her in a crushing embrace. Her words were full of panic, her eyes full of worry. She didn't want to think about her life without Weiss and she definitely wouldn't let it become her reality.

"I know you do you dolt, and I want to go to college with you but for that to happen you're going to have to study."

Ruby gave a heavy sigh and pushed herself up and turned to face her door. She gripped the handle tightly and for a second she thought about letting go and just going to sleep. She thought about how much easier it would be to just put this off. How easy it would be to just flop onto her bed and drift off into sleep but when she thought about Yang sat outside her door all night, a soft smile tugged at her lips.

She opened the door causing yang to tumble ungracefully into the room ending up on her back looking up at her younger sisters eyes full of worry. Her expression clearly showed her concern after recovering from the initial shock of falling backwards into the room.

"Hey sis. Wanna talk about it?" She said with her usual goofy grin.

Ruby just nodded slightly to her sister who promptly got up and made her way to Ruby's bed. Yang took a seat on the bed and patted her lap like she had do many times before when Ruby was a kid. Like all of those times Ruby had needed comforting when she was younger. A soft smile crept onto Ruby's face as she walked towards Yang.

Ruby laid down on her bed, her body sinking into the soft mattress. She carefully placed her head on Yang's lap. For a long while the red head was just silent and Yang started to worry that she had fallen asleep but eventually a soft sigh came from the girl.

"She doesn't like me back." She said in the smallest voice possible but somehow still manage to convey all of her emotions to Yang perfectly. Pity. Sorrow. Pain. Sadness. Guilt. But the one thing Yang couldn't find was regret which brought a silent happiness to her.

"Ah, I'm sorry sis." Yang said while carefully running her fingers through her sisters short hair.

"I guess I should have known really. Theres no way Weiss would go for someone like me even if she were into girls." Yang could see that her sister was slipping into that dark place and she knew that it was her job to pull her back out.

"Ruby, she'd be lucky to have you. Seriously, she missed out." Yang said genuinely, desperately trying to cheer the younger girl up. She hated seeing her sister like this. She hated seeing that downcast look and those hollow eyes. Yang would make sure that she would do everything she could to cheer Ruby up.

"Thanks Yang...but your opinion is a bit biased." she said with a small laugh.

Yang just sighed before continuing.

"Either way, soon you'll get over Weiss and forget about her." Yang tired to speak with a gently tone but when Weiss' name left Yang lips she instantly regretted it as she saw her sisters face curl up. She saw the pain in her expression, she saw how deeply Ruby had cared for Weiss in that one expression. That expression of loss, of hopelessness. That silent cry showed Yang that clearly this wasn't just some small crush.

But soon it soften back to the normal look and Yang saw wide smile appear on the girls lips. Yang just waiting curiously until the girl spoke.

"Well your half right."

This prompted Yang curiosity and caused to the eagerly ask. "What do you mean?"

"Well, eventually I will get over Weiss..." A slightly pause, as if she didn't know whether she should continue but Yang's silence pushed to. "...But I'll never forget Weiss and I never want to. There'll always be a special place in my heart for Weiss, A small part of me that'll always love her."

The look on Ruby's face at that moment was unforgettable even though Yang could only see half of it. The silver of her eyes had softened, and a comfortable smile was placed on her sealed lips. In that moment she just looked so peaceful. A look that told Yang that eventually she was going to be alright. That she wasn't going to let this keep her down forever.

For a small second a sad smile graced Yang's lips as she stared down at her sister. After all that Ruby had been through, the fact that she could still be so positive even when faced with having her heart broken caused Yang's eyes to go wet with tears. Yang allowed herself a moment to be sad for her sister and then revered back to her usual nonchalant personality.

"Aww, that's so sweet. You're such a cutie." Yang said with a slightly more girlish voice than usual.

With that the moment was ruined and Ruby shot up, her face as red as her namesake.

"Shut up." she said flatly

"But it's true!" Yang shouted, a massive grin spread across her face. She ruffled her little sisters hair affectionately but after a moment Yang's hand slid onto Ruby's back and she pulled her into for a hug. It wasn't one of Yang's usual bear hugs. It was warm, gentle, tender, loving. It was a hug that said I'll always be there for you. Words silently exchanged between the two.

"Thanks Yang." Ruby whispered.

"Anytime."

Ruby slowly pulled away from the hug she gave one last smile, another wordless thank you to Yang before speaking.

"I think I'm just gunna sleep." Ruby said with a small yawn to back up her statement.

"Okay, sleep well." As Yang made her way to the door, she looked back on her sister to see her curled up underneath her bed covers, her eyelids slowly lifting up and down between blinks until they completely closed. Just as she was about to close the door a loud knocking could be hear from downstairs causing Ruby to sit up from her bed.

"I wonder who that is..." Yang said curiously.


	7. Chapter 7

Yang pulled back the door, curiosity eating at her all the while, however as soon as she caught sight of who was standing in her front door that curiosity was replace with barely controlled rage. She stared down at the girl being pelted by the unrelenting rain, soaked to her core. Her alabaster hair taking on a slightly darker shade from the rain. Her usual ponytail was stressed and threatened to give any moment. Her signature icy glare was cold and indifferent, just like always. Yang felt no pity when she saw the pathetic sight.

"What do you want Weiss?" Yang's words had a razor sharp edge to them, Weiss' name in particular was practically soaked in venom.

"Let me see Ruby." Weiss spoke with no hesitation, her confidence not wavering even under Yang's threatening gaze.

The heiress spoke with absolute confidence, her eyes shone with determination. Her posture was perfect, silently telling Yang that she wouldn't be backing down, that she would stand up to Yang, that this was one battle she wasn't going to just give up on. She seemed completely sure of herself. If Yang were honest it was slightly unnerving but she wasn't going to let that show. Yang thought that she would be able to break Weiss easily if it came to it but it looks like that wasn't the case.

"Why should I? you turned Ruby down, she came home heartbroken and in tears. Please tell me Weiss, why would I ever let you see Ruby?" Yang's tone had gone from a threatening one to one of rage in the blink of a eye.

"I had my reasons." Weiss spoke like this wasn't even any of Yang's business and that just infuriated the blonde further.

"Oh, you had reasons. Well Weiss please enlighten me. GO ON WEISS IM ALL EARS!" Yang screamed at the girl in front of her, her rage getting the better of her but at this point she didn't care. Even though her speech was so full of rage she somehow managed to keep that mocking tone to her voice, that mocking tone that told Weiss that she had absolutely no chance. Even with the eyes full of fury, the mocking tone and the unnerving yelling Weiss still didn't back down.

"Well for starters, if I were to date Ruby she would be in the public eye like I am. That means press stalking her, hounding her for answers." Weiss said with a slight bit of guilt. She didn't want Ruby to go through that, like she had to.

Yang just stared back silently a slightly skeptical look on her face. She acknowledged this as a valid point but she knew that this wasn't a real reason. She knew there was something more, she knew that something as small as this wouldn't stop Weiss. She knew that she was hiding something behind that icy glare. Yang's silence pushed Weiss to continue.

"Secondly, my father would hardily approve of me and Ruby." Weiss' voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible over the pounding rain. Weiss' anger was easily noticeable in her voice, making it seem like she barely cared that her father didn't approve. Weiss was still hiding something and Yang needed to get it out of her.

"Stop lying, princess. I don't want to hear your BULLSHIT excuses!" Yang yelled, glaring down at the girl in front of her. Weiss looked shocked by Yang's words, the heiress' gaze cast downwards, covered by locks of hair hanging in front of her face. Yang didn't let up, continuing her barrage of word with just as much force. "So if you're gunna keep fuckin' around then you're gunna have to do it without me."

Yang went to close the door but the sound of Weiss' voice stopped her.

"I WAS SCARED OK! I – WEISS SCHNEE – WAS SCARED, I'm scared...i'm scared that when Ruby realizes what a terrible person I am she would leave me." Weiss' voice was strong, it didn't waver in the slightest. She had poured all of her emotion into that one moment and she hadn't even noticed.

A sudden realization hit Weiss like a ton of bricks. She realized why she had complimented Ruby like she had when she saw her dress. She realized why she couldn't chase after her earlier that day. She realized why she couldn't tell her father the answer she so desperately wanted to. She was scared. She was scared of losing the only bond in her life that had actually meant anything to her, the one person she cared most for in this world. She was scared of losing Ruby. She was scared of that point of no return because she knew that once it crossed that line of friendship and became something more, that's when it could never go back. Once over that line, if it crumbled and fell apart, it would be lost forever. She knew that after that she would once again be alone and that was something she feared more than death.

The sudden outburst shocked Yang just as much as it did Weiss. Yang was so shocked that she was powerless to stop Weiss as she barged past her and into the house. Weiss pushed past Yang, filled with determination but what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

Ruby was stood on the stairs, staring down at her, tears filling her eyes. Her expression was one of shock but after a moment her eyes softened, her mouth tugging up into a soft smile and she whispered one word.

"Weiss."

In that moment all other noise disappeared, the sound of the rain crashing into the windows, the floor boards creaking beneath her feet, the sound of her own heavy, desperate breathing. It all just vanished and there was only Ruby's voice. Nothing around her existed, just Ruby. For a small moment she just froze, staring up at her. For that moment everything seemed to just stop. For that split second she felt relived, relived because she actually got to see the one person she cared about one more time but as time started to flow so did the panic.

"No...no. No. No, no, no, no." Weiss shook her head franticly in denial, desperate to believe that all of this was just a dream, that she would wake up and laugh about it. She felt that instinctive fear again, just as she felt it when Ruby left but this time the result was different. This time instead of being rooted to the ground she did the exact opposite.

Weiss spun on her heels and took off. Dropping her bag, she ran straight pasted a confused Yang, back out into the unforgiving rain. Without hesitation Ruby sprinted after Weiss. She didn't even think about it, it was automatic, it was instinctive.

Weiss heard Ruby call out to her but she didn't stop, she didn't know why she wouldn't stop. She kept asking herself that question over and over. _Why am I still running? _Maybe she just wanted a few more moments of peace before her world was crushed before her eyes. Maybe she was still scared.

She knew Ruby would catch up to her. She could hear the shouts getting louder and louder, closer and closer. She could fell the muscles in her legs burning, she knew that it was just a matter of time before they gave out.

She felt a sharp tug at her arm and even though she knew it was inevitable it still came as a surprise when it actually happened. In an instant she was facing Ruby, the girl who just moments ago she was desperate to get away from but now it was different. This time Weiss had given up. Clearly the universe was doing everything it could to make them end up together so maybe that meant that it would work out. That Ruby wouldn't leave her. It was a risk but...

Maybe Ruby was worth it?

With that thought in mind Weiss fell into Ruby's arms, burying her face in the crook of Ruby's neck she nuzzled her cheek against the soft skin. Weiss felt tears well up in her eyes, tightening her grip on the red head, desperate to get even an inch closer. She felt one hand on her back, the other affectionately stroking through her hair, soothing her. She felt the warmth radiate from Ruby, the heat crawling through her body. She felt her heart thump in her chest, with each beat it grow louder, threatening to burst straight from her chest. Her mind was completely blank, not a thought crossed it. For that moment she just wanted to enjoy it. Enjoy this feeling that she would treasure forever, not willing to let it slip from her grasp. Not willing to let Ruby slip from her grasp.

Eventually Weiss choked out two words between sobs.

"I'm sorry."

Weiss felt her body jerk back suddenly and she was staring into Ruby eyes. Ruby had a determined look on her face, like she wanted to say something. Weiss felt the caress of Ruby hands of her cheeks and she couldn't help but press closer, desperate to feel closer to that warmth. Weiss closed her eyes, blocking out the world because she wanted to be able to focus more on that warmth. That warmth of knowing that you have someone, someone who promises never to leave you.

"Weiss." Ruby's stern tone shocked Weiss slightly, her eyes reopening to meet the red head's gaze, a slight sense of worry building inside of her.

"I love you. I promise I will never leave you. You don't need to be scared."

Weiss' only reply was a frantic nod, her face scrunched up, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

She felt a pair of lips being press against hers. Weiss returned the kiss eagerly, pulling Ruby closer, melting further into the kiss. She felt a shiver roll through her body, heat surging through her numb limps. Ruby's thumb lightly grazed against Weiss cheek, the touch sending electricity surging through her. She felt a fire burning inside of her throat, felt her legs tremble, threatening to give any moment. She felt that strange sensation that she had always felt when she was with Ruby, but this time it wasn't just a small feeling swirling in the pit of her stomach, it was a tidal wave. It crashed into her and completely engulfed her in that strange sensation. Weiss finally knew what the unknown sensation was.

Happiness.

In that moment Weiss felt like she could completely believe in Ruby's words. She felt like she could completely trust Ruby to keep that promise but she still felt like she need to ask, so when she pulled away, her lungs begging for air she spoke.

"You really won't leave me? Please don't leave, you're all I have now, you're my everything." Weiss' words were hoarse and barely a whisper, due to her not having enough breath to speak properly. The desperation in her voice was easily recognizable, making it obvious to Ruby that Weiss' words were sincere, they hid nothing behind them, there was no more walls between them. Now Weiss had let her in, completely opening herself to Ruby and Ruby alone.

"I'll never leave you." Ruby said with no hesitation.

Weiss realized that there was still those three words that she hadn't said yet. They were the final hurdle, the last chance to turn back. But Weiss didn't want to turn back. She was ready to face that risk. She thought Ruby was worth the risk. She knew Ruby was worth the risk. Weiss would do anything to be closer to Ruby even if that meant risking being alone. And so she said those three words. Those three words that she thought she would never truly be able to say to anyone. Those words that she thought would mock her and taunt her. Those words that she never thought she would want to say.

"I love you."

* * *

Ruby walked back into her house, pulling Weiss along by the hand, but she was stopped dead in her tracks by a confused Yang.

"So are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Me and Weiss are dating." Ruby said honestly, rubbing at the back of her neck. She was still worried that Yang wouldn't want Ruby to date Weiss but it wasn't really up to her. This was just one thing that Ruby would have to experience on her own, without her. Yang looked pretty mad but just as she was about to speak Ruby cut her off.

"Yang. This is none of your business, okay?" Yang was shocked by the tone of Ruby's voice, it left no room for an argument. She still looked unsure, she still had doubts about Weiss. Yang still didn't know whether Weiss was good enough for her little sister but for now she was just going to have to trust Ruby. After a moment of thought she just said.

"Okay, but I hope you know what you're doing Rubes."

"Of course I do. Come on Weiss."

With that Ruby took off up the stairs, dragging Weiss behind her. Just as she was about to disappear into her room Ruby heard Yang call out from the bottom of the stairs.

"No funny business, got that Schnee?" Yang words caused Weiss' blush to return tenfold and earned a laugh from Ruby. Once they reached Ruby's room, She turned to Weiss, looking at her with a wide smile on her face. Slowly Weiss' blush retreated and she returned Ruby's smile with one of her own.

"What did she mean byfunny business?"

"NOTHING. Forget about it." Weiss said, her cheeks tinted slightly pink. The dejected look on Ruby's face almost made her feel bad. Almost. Weiss stomped past the red head dropping her bag down on Ruby's bed and made her way towards Ruby's bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower first." Weiss had decided on that way back that staying in soaking wet clothes probably wasn't the best idea. Just as Weiss was about to enter the small bathroom she felt Ruby's grip on her arm and she turned to face her.

"Or..." Ruby's voice was quiet, she looked nervous as she shifted her weight from left to right. Weiss just waited for her to continue, one eyebrow raised. When Ruby continued her voice was even quieter than before, a light blush spread across her features.

"We could go in together."

Weiss froze. Eyes wide and mind sent racing. After a moment of silence she forced herself to speak.

"R-ruby I-I-I...I don't t-think-" Weiss sputtered out between coughs, looking frantically around the room her eyes sticking to anything but Ruby. Her cheeks erupted into a full on blush but before she could continue her little panic attack she was cut off by Ruby's laughter.

"Oh Weiss, you should have seen your face. You are so easy...Oh wow. This is going to be fun. Have a nice shower sweetie." Ruby leaned in a gave Weiss a peck on her cheek before happily skipping over to her bed and opening her laptop, tapping away like nothing had happened.

Weiss' only reply was to mumble "dolt." under her breath. Weiss quickly entered the shower desperately trying to keep her mind off Ruby's little..._suggestion. _Weiss felt her mind go blank when the warm waves of water crashed on top of her. For at least ten minutes Weiss just stood underneath the shower head, letting the water run over her body, letting it warm her. Something she realized was that the warmth of the shower couldn't even compare to Ruby's warmth.

Ruby took Weiss' place in the shower leaving Weiss alone in her room. Usually when Weiss was in Ruby's room she would feel at home but now that they were dating she was suddenly really self-conscious. Like should she sit on the bed? Or would that be weird but if she sat on the chair would Ruby think she was purposely distancing herself? Before Weiss could worry herself about it too much Ruby re-entered the room instantly earning Weiss' attention.

Ruby was wearing what she usually slept in, a black tank top and pink heart pyjama pants, an outfit Weiss had seen a bunch of times but now they were dating. Now that dangerously tight tank top make Weiss' heart beat just that bit faster. But Weiss had more important things to think about so she quickly pushed that thought away for later.

"Ruby, there's something we need to talk about." Weiss tone was flat and serious causing Ruby's expression to instantly change to one of panic. Clearly she though something bad was about to happen but Weiss was quick to react.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad it's just...something." Weiss truly didn't know what word to use for what she was going to say. Ruby still looked unsure but let continue nether the less.

"It's just that...remember when I said your all that I have now?" Weiss' shyly reminded Ruby of her words from early.

"Yeah, of course I remember. You looked so cute then Weiss." Ruby's expression had gone back to one of nonchalant happiness clearly forgetting the seriousness Weiss had initially established. Usually Weiss would have scolded Ruby for that little comment but right now she had to get Ruby back on track.

"Yeah right...sure. Anyway Ruby about that. When I said that I really meant it."

"Awww, Weiss You're my everythi-"

"No. Ruby. Literally. I may have...kinda ran away from home..." For a moment Ruby went silent, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging slightly. Weiss quickly continued in an attempted to lessen the shock. "...I had to leave. My father was too controlling. He made all of my decisions, he- he said that I wasn't allowed to date you...s-so I just ha-"

Weiss had started to feel the hot sting of tears from reliving her life with her father but just as she started rambling she was cut off. Ruby had wrapped her arms around the sobbing heiress, Weiss instantly leaned into the embrace, wanting to feel that warmth that she craved. After a second of silence Ruby spoke, filling the room with her voice.

"No Weiss, this is great!" Now It was Weiss' turn to be confused.

"How is this great?" Weiss said pulling back to look Ruby in the eyes, trying to gage how crazy this girl actually was.

"You can stay here!"

Weiss looked ready to completely shoot down that idea but then she realized that she really had nowhere else to go. Weiss looked at Ruby's hope filled puppy-dog eyes and her defiance melted in an instantly

"Would Yang even let me stay here?" Weiss said a bit quieter now, her head turned away from Ruby, unsure about the whole idea.

"Sure she would, Yang may be a bit irrational at time but there's no where she would kick you out on the street. She doesn't hate you that much y'know." Ruby said trying to sound as honest as possibly. She knew that Yang wouldn't kick Weiss out...probably.

"I find that hard to believe." Weiss scoffed sarcastically

Ruby just laughed and started to pull Weiss along for the third time that day. Once downstairs she stood straight in front of Yang who was currently watching TV. Yang looked up, half annoyed that her favourite program was being interrupted, half confused because Ruby knew not to interrupt her while she was watching her favourite TV show.

"Yang, Weiss is going to be staying here for a while." Ruby said, her tone confident, showing that it wasn't really a request. It was just a fact.

"NO. Absolutely not." Yang anger had returned from earlier, shooting up off her seat on the couch to stare down at the little sister. Ruby didn't back down, returning her sisters glare. When Ruby spoke it was through gritted teeth

"Yang. She hasn't got anywhere to go." Ruby said, anger surfacing in her voice and on her face. She loved Yang but sometimes she could be stubborn.

"How about, oh I don't know. Her house?"

"Fine." Ruby said with a grunt. "If you must know, Weiss had to leave her house because her father didn't want her dating me."

Yang expression changed from one of anger to guilt, slumping back down on the worn couch. She quickly mumbled an apology to the heiress. Yang turned her head away to avoid the gazes of the two looking down on her. Yang very rarely felt guilt but oh boy was she feeling it now.

"So I'll take that as a yes." Yang nodded meekly in reply. Ruby seemed content with that and made her way back towards her room, Weiss following closely behind not wanted to be left alone with Yang.

When they reached Ruby's room, the red head quickly bounced over to her bed and fell face first into the soft mattress. Weiss watched with amusement as Ruby buried herself in the rose red covers on her bed. Weiss looked around the room before she realized something and spoke up.

"Ruby? Where am I going to sleep?" Ruby just sat up from her place on the bed, scooting to the side and patting the space next to her. Weiss' cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink at Ruby's suggestion and she was quick to shoot it down.

"Ruby we've been dating for..." Weiss quickly glances at her watch before continuing. "...one hour and thirty eight minutes. I don't think we are ready for that yet."

"I didn't mean it like that and anyway we've known each other for six months and we've pretty much been dating for the last four." Weiss realized that Ruby had a valid point, even though she would never admit it. Weiss had planned on still refusing but then Ruby brought out the puppy-dog eyes for the second time that day and just like the first time, Weiss melted.

"Oh fine. I'm just going to change."

Weiss re-entered Ruby's room having changed into her usually ice blue sleep gown, a blush creeping up on her features, getting more intense with each step. Ruby noticed the look on Weiss' face, uncomfortable and strained, she looked like she was forcing herself.

Ruby realized that Weiss probably wasn't used to stuff like this, having no one growing up were as Ruby had slept in the same bed as Yang hundreds of times. Ruby realized that Weiss was pushing herself, that she was forcing herself to try and be comfortable with stuff like this to please Ruby. All this stuff was new to Weiss, something unknown and Ruby was pretty much making her jump in at the deep end. With Weiss being unfamiliar with physical contact, having Ruby cling to her all night probably wouldn't be a good thing.

"Weiss you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Weiss looked up, her eyes meeting Ruby's. Ruby had expected a sigh of relief, she had expected Weiss to be thankful to dodge that bullet but to Ruby's surprise Weiss just shook her head. Weiss was trying, trying to be more open, trying so hard not to retreat back into her walls. But she wasn't trying just for Ruby she was also trying for herself. She wasn't being force to try, she wanted to.

She wanted to be closer to Ruby, She wanted Ruby to know that she had Weiss' complete trust. She wanted Ruby to know that Weiss really did love her, that she wasn't scared of her emotions anymore. She wanted to keep Ruby close, instead of pushing her away.

When Weiss first got in the bed, she was stiff as a board, clearly uncomfortable but when she felt a pair of arms snake around her neck, she started to relax slightly. Ruby pulled Weiss closer, a white head of hair resting on her chest. Ruby tangled her legs with Weiss', rubbing gentle at the back of her neck. Weiss felt a hand comb gently through her hair, occasionally stopping to curl one of the locks around her finger. Weiss wrapped her arms loosely around Ruby's waist, pulling herself even closer to the scent of roses.

Weiss let out a relieved sigh, quickly coming to enjoy the intimate contact. Weiss felt the warmth from Ruby practically wrap itself around her, cradling her into sleep. It was nothing like when she slept alone, it was nothing like the long cold nights she spent back at the Schnee manor. Back then her nights were mostly sleepless, her thoughts clouded with the responsibility of the Schnee name, dreading the moment she would have to resume the façade called her life. This was the complete opposite, now Weiss felt like she wouldn't have to wake up and put on the usual scowl, now she wouldn't wake up to "Ms. Schnee it's time for your lesson."

This time she would be able to sleep without worry, now she'll have the pleasure of waking up to soft breaths and Ruby's voice. This time she wouldn't have to wake up and put on that mask she called her face. She could completely relax, she could tear down her walls just for the time she's in this room. With that thought in mind Weiss started falling deeper and deeper into sleep but just as she was about to drift off into sleep...

"Hey Weiss."

Weiss sighed, she really just wanted to sleep but ignoring her girlfriend probably wasn't the best idea so she replied.

"Yes."

"I'm really glad we're going out now."

Weiss couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. When she was with Ruby she felt so loved, even from small things like this. Ruby wore her heart on her sleeve unlike Weiss who buried it deep within layers of ice. She kept her emotion's right at the surface and wasn't afraid to show them, something Weiss wasn't used to.

"I'm glad too." She felt Ruby's head rest on top of hers, clearly ready to drift off into sleep but first Weiss had something to say. If Ruby could be so honest with her emotion's then Weiss would have to try.

"Ruby...I'm sorry." Weiss said shyly although honestly.

"Hmmm? For What?"

"For not being honest with you all that time, for not being honest with myself. I hurt you because I couldn't face my own feelings for you." Weiss had now only just realized the irony of her situation.

By hiding her feeling she had done more harm than good, that she had almost lost the most important thing in her life because she was scared.

"It's fine, it all worked out in the end didn't it?" Weiss just let out small laugh. Ruby was the type of person that saw the good in every situation.

"I love you, you dolt."

"Love you too, snowflake."

* * *

**A/n**: Hey, Sooooo chapter 7 is now up and Ruby and Weiss are finally dating. But the story doesn't end there.

Well, initially I had planned to end the story here, but Weiss running away from home was something that I didn't plan on and it rekindled my love for this story, giving me more motivation to write for it. After that I started thinking about things that could happen after they got together and the ideas just kept coming. After this chapter I'm going to try and included the high school setting more because I haven't really used it :/.

Also with the last chapter this story hit 100 followers (120 when I upload this chapter.) and 60 favourites, which is just amazing. It's so much better than I expected for my first story so I want to thank everyone thats even took the time to read, especially up to this point. So yeah...thanks :D

So thats it for this chapter look forward to the next one where Weiss and Ruby return to school, which should be interesting.

And as always thanks to KillerKlown12 for editing this for me, go check out their stories.

ALSO, review. I love getting reviews even if its just you say that you're enjoying the story.

ALSO ALSO, follow me on tumblr. Theres a link in my profile but its u-n-imagine , tumblr , com (replace commas with periods). Don't be afraid to ask me stuff about this story or my writing. If you do follow me make sure to tell me than you've read this story.


	8. Chapter 8

A smile broke out on Ruby's face when she took her first steps onto school grounds. Seeing that familiar building towering over her brought back the feeling of normality that she had missed. The weekend had been crazy to the point of it being surreal, so Ruby welcomed the change of pace with open arms. Ruby was glad to be getting back to her normal life, to return to the mundane crawl of everyday rituals and habits. It was refreshing in a way.

For a moment she just took in the sight of her school, letting the image of her school soak in for a moment. After a deep breath she turn around to Weiss.

"C'mon Weiss, hurry up!" Ruby said with a wave.

Weiss just sighed, increasing her pace to try and catch up to her hyperactive girlfriend.

"What are you getting excited for? You dunce."

Ruby leaned towards Weiss, a wide grin plastered on her face. When her words finally came they were just a whisper.

"Because I get to go to school with my cute girlfriend."

Weiss only response was to blush and turn away, earning a laugh from Ruby. Without a second though the red head turned to skip into the school, Weiss stomping after her, still quite flustered.

Ruby swung open the doors to the school with ease, a few heads turning when the sound of the doors hitting the walls ran through the corridor. When people saw Ruby stood in the doorway, smiling triumphantly they just went back to their daily business. Ruby had a reputation in the school for being way to excited in the morning, so stuff like this happens on a regular basis and most people have just leant to ignore it.

Ruby walked into the hallway, head twisting and turning at every little thing. Taking in the endless crowds of faceless students, the constant sound of less than enthusiastic chatter, the squeak of her sneakers against the linoleum floors. It was all music to her ears. She happily made her way over to her locker.

Weiss followed behind Ruby with less enthusiasm. She was enjoying returning to school after the hectic weekend but she wouldn't show it like Ruby was, she had an image to keep up. She couldn't just prance around the school like a child. Weiss followed Ruby through the the halls of the school, always staying just a few steps behind the red head.

Opening her locker, Ruby instantly started grabbing things eagerly, dumping them carelessly in her backpack. It was almost automatic, she knew exactly what would be needed for the day, but one of her books made her pause. She looked at the large engineering text book in her hands, a frown forming on her lips. She looked over at Weiss, who was currently absorbed in sorting what things she would need for the day. She dropped the book lazily in her bag, snapping the locker closed with a flick of her wrist, effectively grabbing Weiss' attention in the process.

Ruby slumped sideways, using her locker to keep herself upright. She stared down towards the floor, her bangs falling in front of her eyes. Her arms hung loosely at here side and for a moment she was silent. Weiss didn't say anything just waited for Ruby to voice whatever was on her mind.

Ruby reached out and gently grasped Weiss' fingers between her own, gently running her thumb along her girlfriend's slender fingers. It was almost like she thought Weiss would break if she wasn't careful, like Weiss was made of glass. The touch sent a shiver down Weiss' spine. Even though the gesture was so small, so innocent, Weiss could feel the love and care. She could feel the want, the need in that one small gesture. Weiss smile softly down at her hands, once again grateful that Ruby was still in her life.

Weiss was so caught up in the gesture she had forgotten they were in public. Yesterday they had both decided, well Weiss decided, that they should keep it a secret. She had explained that it wasn't because she was ashamed of Ruby, but rather that she would prefer not to be the main topic for the schools mindless chatter.

But now she didn't really want to pull away. She couldn't bare that hurt look on Ruby's face if she did pull away right now and the feeling was just too amazing, it halted any though of moving her hand away. Weiss convinced herself that she would be able to make up an excuse if anyone where to say anything, which she highly doubted in the first place.

A heavy silence hung over the two girls, the random murmuring of passing people fading into the background.

"I'm gunna miss you."

Weiss sighed, but could help the smile on her face.

Monday's were dedicate to the core subject you chose, Ruby's being engineering, Weiss' being sociology. This means that they were separated all day.

"It's only for one day, you dolt, and we'll still be together at lunch like always." Weiss gave Ruby's hand a comforting squeeze before reluctantly pulling it away and returning her attention to her bag.

"Yeah, I know but...it was hard before, y'know? But now it's physically painful to be away from you."

Weiss eyes widened slightly, turning her head to again focus on Ruby. Honestly this girl was way too sweet sometimes.

"I'm going to miss you too." Weiss mumbled, although she was sure Ruby had caught it by the way her head jolted upwards, a hopeful smile taking the place of her frown.

"Really?" Weiss couldn't tell if the girl was actually serious or if she was just messing with her at this point but she decided it was best to answers, just in case.

"Of course you dolt. Now I'm going to class and I suggest you do the same. I'll see you at lunch in the usual spot." The crowds in the hallways had started to thin out as people went to the their respective class rooms. Ruby watched as Weiss walked away from her, eventually turning a corner and out of sight. Ruby's frown returned, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder, she made her way to her own class.

* * *

Ruby sat at her desk, staring out of the window, watching the rustling leaves of trees as the wind blew past. leaves fell gracefully to the ground, gathering at the base of tree trunks. She watched the clouds drift measly through the sky, crawling lifelessly across the empty blue canvas. Sounds of pencils tapping against paper echoed throughout the classroom, eager students taking notes. The sound of the teachers dull voice drowned out by her own thoughts.

She missed Weiss.

She knew it was childish but she didn't really care. She wanted to spend all her time with Weiss, but she knew that was impossible. So instead she sat and waited patiently, counting each tick of the clock.

The lesson dragged on and on and on and on and on and on.

Every few seconds Ruby would glance at the clock only to be disappointed when it had barely moved. Letting out a sigh Ruby returned her attention to the window, again focusing on the uninteresting life of the outside world.

* * *

Weiss eagerly scribbled away in her note book, taking down every word that was of even minor importance. She listen intently to the lecture being given by her teacher, every word being imprinted into her brain. Line after line of text slowly filling up her page. But at the end of every sentence she would pause.

She would pause and remember that Ruby wasn't beside her and she would realize how true her words from earlier actually were. It would be obvious to her that the red head wasn't sitting next to her and the though sent a lonely feeling through her. It was something she wasn't used too and so she wanted nothing more than just to push it away, quickly starting up her next line of notes, distracting herself with work.

But every time she finished a line, she would get that same feeling, that pang of loneliness. Soon she found herself glancing at the clock, willing it to go faster, but it didn't listen. Eventually, as the lesson drew to a close, she had abandoned all hope of listening to another of professor ports rants. Instead finding the clock hands more interesting, as it inched closer to twelve.

She would never admit it but she missed Ruby.

* * *

Ruby pulled open the large library doors, the smell of musty books hitting her instantly. She looked up towards the high ceiling, bookshelves filled with books towering over her. The lighting was dim, just enough so you could read easily. Rays of sunlight stretched across the floor, entering through the large windows on the other side of the room, small specks of dust floating carelessly, illuminated by the sunlight. The dark brown wooden floor creaked with every step, showing its age. Most of the surfaces were coated in a thick layer of dust. Truly the perfect image of a generic library.

Ruby gave a quick nod to the raven-black head of hair sat behind the main desk, which was returned with a small smile. She made her way towards the corner of the library, where a small two person desk was, tucked away from prying eyes. As she got closer she to the back of the library, she started to catch glimpses of long white hair, a full smile taking shape on her lips.

For a moment she just watched Weiss, as the heiress focused fully on studying. Her icy blue eyes flicking from one side of the page to the other, as she quickly read line after line of text. Every now and again she would scribble something down in her notebook, her handwriting just as elegant and graceful as you'd expect from an heiress. Ruby walked silently up to Weiss, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"Hey princess."

Weiss jolted in her seat slighted, turning to Ruby with the usual scowl on her face.

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that? and you know I hate that nickname."

"Must be around a hundred by now and no I don't know that." Ruby replied with a childish grin.

Weiss just sighed and returned her attention to her book, not choosing to dignify that with a response. From the corner of her eye she could see Ruby's face curl up in a pout but Weiss held strong, forcing herself to focus on her work.

"Oh? So it's the silent treatment now is it?"

That hadn't been Weiss' initial plan but not that Ruby had brought it up Weiss decided that it would be a good thing to tease Ruby a little. Weiss didn't even look up at Ruby, her eyes glued to the page, staying silent. A small smirk threatened to pass her lips when she saw Ruby's brow furrow and the pout curl into a frown.

"Well two can play at that game." Ruby said sounding extremely childish.

_Well this should be good. _

Ruby took her engineering text book from her bag, dropping it down on the table with a dull thump. She dramatically flipped the book open to a random page. Weiss saw Ruby's eyes scan the page with enthusiasm before returning to her own text book.

The two girls sat in silence for a while, completely focused on the words in front of them but slowly Weiss saw Ruby start to struggle. It started with just simple fidgeting, playing with her pen, drumming her fingers on the table. Eventually that escalated into drawn out sighs which drifted past Weiss' ears. Those sighs eventually turned into sideways glances, that Weiss just caught out of the corner of her eye.

She knew it was only a matter of time now.

"Weeeiiiissssss." Ruby whined.

And there it was.

"I lied, two can't play this game. It's boring."

Ruby shuffled her chair closer to Weiss', rubbing up against her girlfriend like some kind of stray animal who needed a home.

"C'mon Weiss. I just wanna hear the sound of your beautiful voice."

"Ruby!"

Ruby's grin returned. "Ahh there it is." A small laugh accompanied Ruby's words.

"I told you not in public, what if someone hears." A blush appearing on her face, trying to gently push Ruby away from her, worrying that if anyone saw them right now it would be a little hard to convince them they were just friends.

"No one's gunna hear, no one even comes to this par-"

"I can hear you guys."

Both Ruby and Weiss went stiff, Ruby immediately pulling away from Weiss at the sound of a new voice. Weiss' worst fear had just come true and after only one day too, now the whole school would know before the end of the day. That is, unless she can intimidate whoever it was into saying quiet. Weiss flicked her head around to meet the source of the noise, finding herself smiling when she saw who it was.

Velvet. Her head just poking out from behind a bookcase. The girl was known throughout the school as being incredibly timid. Weiss knew she could _break_ her.

Velvet stepped out from behind bookshelf, cautiously stepping up to the table where the two girls sat. She nervously twiddled her fingers together, her eyes never stopping on the two girls. Weiss was just about to demand that she tell no one but Velvet beat her to it.

"I-I won't tell anyone."

Weiss was cut off before she even had the chance to start and now she was left speechless. She didn't know how to response to this. She had prepared a whole big speech in her head and now it was all useless. Although she was relieved that Velvet wouldn't say anything she was also quite disappointed. Weiss just sat there, mouth hung open slightly as if she was about to speak, at a complete loss for words. Fortunately for her Ruby wasn't as confused.

"Thanks, we just don't wanna be the centre of attention for the school."

"Oh, I get it but some people k-kinda already know." The words slipped from Velvets mouth before she could stop them. She watched both girls eyes go wide and Weiss' brow furrow in anger.

"I mean n-no not like they..._know_, j-just, there are rumours." When Weiss' eyes narrowed into a glare Velvet realized she had just made things worse for herself. Giving it one more shot, Velvet spoke again.

"I mean, not like a p-proper rumour, more like a joke like, someone would see you two and s-say 'those two are so close they may as well just be a couple' or 'there goes the schools most famous couple' and l-like someone would laugh, see." Velvet finished with a uncomfortable laugh, somehow looking more nervous than when she first started.

Weiss just let out a sigh, she didn't really want any rumours about her and Ruby floating around but there was nothing she could do now, also they couldn't be that harmful. It was only innocent banter, like Velvet said they had become more like school mascots that people joke about. Although that also irritated her.

That the idea that her and Ruby's relationship was actually so unlikely and the idea of it was so ridiculous that it was actually laughable. She didn't think of her relationship with Ruby as a joke and she actually took offence that other people do. People belittled her relationship with Ruby, and even though they probably meant no harm, it hurt.

Weiss just stared up at Velvet, who was clearly awaiting the verdict. Ruby seemed to be staring at Weiss, watching for her girlfriends reactions to the "rumours" about them. After a few moments of eerie silence Weiss just breath out a few words.

"Thanks, for not telling anyone." Ruby just smiled which Weiss returned with a less enthusiastic smile, but a smile none the less. Velvet seemed to be happy that she wasn't in trouble with Weiss, looking less and less nervous by the second, a cheerful grin taking the place of her worried frown.

Velvet spoke up after another moment of silence.

"And for what it's worth, I didn't think it was all that funny. You two make a cute couple." Velvets sentence earned a blush from Weiss and a smile from Ruby. Velvet gave a wave as she was walking away from the table, once again leaving the two alone at their table. Only when she was sure Velvet was out of ear shot did Weiss speak.

"Well that was defiantly...unexpected." Weiss was still quite unsure about the whole thing, after all she didn't know Velvet that well and she hadn't pegged her as a gossip but there was always a chance.

Ruby's face flashed to one of realization for a moment before her lips curled up in a mischievous smile. A teasing glint to her eyes, maybe she had been around Yang too long.

"Maybe she's like us." Ruby said in as serious a tone as she could muster. Weiss just stared at her, one eyebrow raised in confusion. After a moment Ruby just leaned closer to Weiss, whispering into the heiress' ears.

"Y'know..._gay._" Ruby pulled away from Weiss as soon as the word left her lips, an overdramatic tone used for added effect. Ruby clasped a hand over her mouth as if the word she just uttered was forbidden, her eyes flicking from left to right, searching for anyone who could have possibly overheard. Weiss couldn't help her lips curling up into a smile at her girlfriend's antics.

Weiss just shook her head, returning her focus to her work. Ruby on the other hand didn't return to her text book. She took this time to just watch Weiss. Ruby took note of every one of Weiss' actions, from crinkling her nose when she read something she didn't know, to chewing her bottom lip when she was on a particularly hard question.

Her favourite thing she noticed though, was how Weiss would smile every time she got a question right. It wasn't a forced smile like she usually wore, but it wasn't like how she smiled at Ruby. It was just a small tug at the corners of her lips, just enough to show that she was actually happy. It wasn't a loving smile, or a caring smile. It was just a happy smile.

Ruby found herself just waiting for the next time that smile would come, her eyes never leaving Weiss because if she missed it, oh she if missed it she would be so mad at herself. Every time she saw that smile, her heart would beat just that bit faster, her own smile get just that bit wider.

* * *

The sound of the bell rung throughout the school, signalling the end of the day. A chorus of relieved sighs followed the ear shattering sound. Chatter started up in the classroom but Ruby had no time, instantly getting out of her seat, she eagerly made her way to her locker. The familiar squeak of her sneakers on the floors echoed through the currently empty hallway, most student still their classrooms. She walked with enthusiasm, a slight spring in her step, wanting to reach her locker as fast as possible.

Ruby rounded the corner, reaching the hallway where her locker was. She deflated slightly when she saw that Weiss wasn't there. She completed the last stretch with a slow walk, her enthusiasm from earlier completely drained in that one moment. Ruby entered her locker combination perfectly, swinging the locker door open with ease. Ruby emptied her backpack into her locker, which was very full in the first place.

Ruby shut her locker, it having served its purpose. Leaning backwards, using her locker to keep herself up, she waited for Weiss. She watched as people slowly floated into the hallway, filling up the narrow corridor easily. The silence soon turned into dull chatter, bouncing off the walls recklessly. Eventually Ruby saw a white head of hair among the crowds, walking towards her.

Ruby perked up instantly, a big grin on her face as her girlfriend reach her own locker.

"Hey Weiss."

"Hello."

Weiss opened up her locker, going through the same process that Ruby had finished a few minutes ago. Once Weiss was finished sorting herself out, she turned back to Ruby, meeting the read heads gaze.

"So, are we going straight home or is there is there somewhere you want to go."

Ruby's face lit up at the suggestion. She eagerly replied, excitement easily noticeable in her voice. It was one of the thing's Weiss love about the red head. She was easily excitable to the point where it almost made her child-like.

"Oo, there is a place I've been wanting to go. It's jus-"

"Hey, snow angel."

Weiss turned to the familiar voice, looking up to see Neptune. Neptune was on the same course as Weiss, also taking sociology. He was one of the more popular boys in the school, admired for his good looks and friendly personality.

"Oh, hello Neptune." Weiss said politely.

Ruby's head poked out from behind Weiss.

"Hey."

Neptune replied to the red head's greeting with a smile, then returned his focus to Weiss.

"So, Weiss, how was your day?"

"It was good. How far along are you with the latest project?"

"It's going well but it's pretty tough, especially with who I got stuck with."

"Well, I wish you luck."

"Thanks, I'll try my best. How's your project coming along?"

"My partner is pretty much useless, but I'm pretty sure I can handle the project on my own."

"Well you do always get the highest grade in class..."

_'Damn right I do.' _Weiss thought to herself.

"...I wish you were my partner so you could carry me like that."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Too late." He said with a smirk and a wink before turning away from the two girls.

Weiss turned back to Ruby, seeing the girls eyebrows furrowed in anger, she got curious. Ruby was almost never angry, so it was genuinely surprising to see she was. A tad bit worrying too. She couldn't even guess at what had gotten her girlfriend so angry, so she asked.

"Ruby? What's wrong?" Weiss' voice was lowered slightly, almost a whisper, just loud enough to be hear over the background noise. A worried tone with hints of curiosity.

"You do realize he had the biggest crush on you, right?" Ruby bit back, a small amount of venom seeping into her words but Weiss knew it wasn't directed at her.

"I'm pretty sure you have the biggest crush on me." Weiss said with a smirk. Ruby face lit up with a soft blush, her lips curling into a pout. Weiss started walking away from their lockers towards the exit of the school.

"Whatever. Anyway, I don't like him." Ruby said catching up to Weiss.

"Ruby Rose, are you jealous?" Weiss said pushing open the doors to the school, the smirk never leaving never leaving her face. They were outside the school now, some people still loitering around in courtyard in front of the school. Weiss turned to Ruby, giving her girlfriend her full attention.

As soon as Weiss' eyes meet Ruby's, the red head instantly turned her head away. Ruby mumbled something but Weiss couldn't hear. When Weiss asked her to repeated what she said, Ruby just huffed, turning to Weiss and grabbing the heiress' wrist. Ruby pulled Weiss round a corner, away from people.

At the side of the school, around five feet away is a wall, Weiss and Ruby were now stood in between the school and the outside wall. Benches lined the outside wall, a few feet apart from each other. Every couple of benches a tree would be growing from a small patch other dirt, casting shadows on the wall of the school. Thin rays of light drifted through small gaps in the trees leaves.

"So what if I am jealous?" Ruby's voice had a subtle anger to it, clearly not angry at Weiss, more angry at herself for feeling jealous.

Weiss was shocked, she never though Ruby would be the jealous type. She would've been angry if I didn't feel so amazing. If it didn't feel so good that Ruby wanted her so much. That she was so desperate for Weiss' attention that she got jealous whenever it was given to anyone else. Even though there absolutely no reason for Ruby to be jealous, Weiss couldn't help being happy she was.

"Ruby, there is no reason to be jealous."

"I know but, Your _my _girlfriend Weiss. You're going to have to tell him you're not interested. Please. For me?" Ruby's voice was desperate. She was begging Weiss to turn him down. Every time Ruby saw him glancing at Weiss, every wink, every smile. It hurt. And that hurt was showing on her face right now.

Weiss felt a jolt of warmth at the words "my girlfriend". It was nice to know you belonged. not belonged to them, but with them.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I'll turn him down okay? Next chance I get." Weiss cupped Ruby's face with her hands. For a moment she just stared into those stormy grey eyes before pressing a kiss to her girlfriends lips. Weiss let the kiss linger, savouring every moment. She felt Ruby's arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer. Weiss leaned further into the kiss, desperately wanting more.

When she pulled back seeing Ruby's usual smile put her instantly at easy.

* * *

**A/n: **I know not much happened in this chapter but this was mainly for setup. This chapter it to just setup future events by introducing new characters like Neptune, Velvet and Blake (which I'm sure most of you guessed is the raven-black haired librarian).The chapters will be like this for a while, causal White Rose with interactions form other characters. That is until I decide on my next major plot point.

As always thanks for reading. Please leave a review, even if it's just to say you're enjoying this story.


	9. Chapter 9

Weiss and Ruby walked down the empty street, the grey clouds blanketing the sky, causing colours to dull. A cold chill drifted through the air, causing the two girls to unconsciously inch closer to each other. Every now and again their hands would brush together, causing both girls to recoil away, turning their heads from embarrassment. Every time it sent electricity jolting up Ruby's arm and honestly it was frustrating. She and Weiss were dating now, they should be able to hold hands in public.

Ruby decided to just ask.

"Weiss, can we hold hands?" Ruby spoke in the most innocently sweet tone, making Weiss melt. A slight blush dusted Ruby's face, giving it a hint of pink. Weiss would have said no but she made the mistake of glancing at Ruby, those large silver eyes staring right into her soul.

Weiss took Ruby's hand in her own, mumbling complains under her breath. She laced their fingers together, giving her girlfriend's hand a comforting squeeze. Weiss tried to kept her gaze in front of her, too embarrassed to look back. She tired not the focus on the warmth that crept up her arm. To not think about how amazing this feeling was, the feeling of just being close to someone. But she couldn't.

If she was being honest she was glad Ruby had asked. She was glad that they could just be casually close like this, but there was no way she would be the one to ask. Her pride told her that she shouldn't need anyone else.

Although that was a lie. She needed Ruby.

Weiss gave in and glanced back at Ruby. The red head's smile just increased the feeling of warmth and closeness that Weiss felt. She found that she could just stare at that smile forever. Even though it was a regular occurrence for Ruby to smile it still felt like a gift from god when one came. Just because it happened often didn't mean Weiss was any less grateful when one graced her girlfriend's lips. The fact that she got to see them everyday didn't make them any less breath-taking.

But of course, she was Weiss. So she had to comment.

"What are you smiling about? You dork."

Ruby shuck her head slightly, as if just a moment ago she was lost in though. Her eyes quickly meeting Weiss'. For a second her expression was neutral like she was still lost in thought, a beat passed and a light blush coloured her cheeks. Her lips curved upwards in a goofy grin and her free arm scratched at the back of her neck. A small nervous laugh escaped her before she spoke.

"Ahh...ermm, I was just..."

"Spit it out you dolt!"

"I was just thinking about how happy I was!" Ruby's eyes clamped shut as she half-shouted her words.

Weiss blinked. She raised one eyebrow, asking for further explanation.

Ruby sighed. "I mean, I'm just really happy. A month ago stuff like this just seemed so...far away like it wasn't even possible. But now..." Ruby glanced at their entwined hands before returning to Weiss' eyes. "...It's happening." Ruby spoke in a wistful tone, that smile that Weiss loved so much returning to her face.

Weiss returned her gaze to the front, a furious blush covering her face. She tightened her grip on Ruby's hand, feeling the warmth seep into her skin. Her pace slowed considerably, going from a speed walk to a leisurely stroll. She had realized that instead of getting home as quickly as possible she should enjoy these moment, savour and treasure them.

"You really are a dolt." Weiss mumbled the words but she was sure Ruby had heard judging by her reaction.

Ruby pulled closer to Weiss, resting her head on the heiress' shoulders affectionately.

"Yeah, but I'm your dolt."

"Yes, you are."

* * *

Ruby attempted to open the door to her house, a dull rattling sound coming from the handle. With a sigh she slipped her backpack off her back and retrieved her keys. She unlocked the door to the house, opening it up and stepping inside.

"Yangggg!"

She called out into the house, her only reply being dead silence. It wasn't unheard of for Yang to be out when Ruby got home but it definitely wasn't a regular thing. Ruby had thought Yang would be more strict for a few days with Weiss being here and everything but she figured some things just wouldn't change.

Ruby turned back to Weiss giving her a quick shrug of her shoulders before walking further into the house. She dumped her bag down on the kitchen counter before slumping down onto the worn couch in the front room. She watched Weiss mirror her actions, although with more elegance than the red head. Weiss reach the couch but instead went to sit on the chair, Ruby saw this and quickly lunged, grabbing Weiss' arm tugging her down to sit beside her on the couch.

"Ruby! What are you doing!?"

"I want you to sit next to me." Ruby's lips curled up in a pout, her eyes shining with child-like anger. Although more than angry or intimidating she just looking incredibly adorable, causing Weiss to just drop the topic and settle into the couch without another word. Ruby's usual grin returned to her face as she leaned over to pick up the TV remote.

Ruby turned the TV on with a flick of her wrist, the black box slowly coming to life. She surfed through the various channels not stopping on any one for more than a second, not able to find anything of interest. After around a minute or two and a few irritated grunts from Weiss, Ruby gave up. With a sigh Ruby tossed the remote towards Weiss, the plastic landing with a thump in her lap.

Weiss' head snapped in the direction of Ruby's, giving the redhead a ice cold glare. Ruby responded by sticking her tongue out at the heiress and flopping backwards to lay flat on the couch, her legs propping up to rest in Weiss' lap. The heiress' expression softened and a comfortable smile replaced the neutral line.

Weiss enjoyed moments like this. Moments where they didn't have to say anything but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Moments where they can just be close, it's moments like these that Weiss remembered just how close she and Ruby actually are. If anyone other than Ruby were sitting on the couch this moment wouldn't be happening. Weiss wouldn't let anyone else drape their legs over her like she lets Ruby. If it were anyone else she would shove their legs away, shoot them a cold glare and leave.

Weiss flicked though the channels for a while, eventually settling on a random sit com if for no other reason than background noise.

Weiss' gaze drifted over to Ruby, noticing that she wasn't looking at the TV anymore but instead staring blankly out of the window. The look in her eyes was distant and almost...pained. Her mouth pressed into a straight line, neutral and indifferent. Her brow was furrowed slightly and every now and again her lips would twitch with the beginning of what could either be a smile or a frown.

Instead of saying anything Weiss just lightly gripped one of Ruby's hand, which rested just beside Weiss' own on the worn blue couch. Ruby didn't say anything in reply, she didn't even turn to look at Weiss but her lips slowly curl up into a smile. After a moment Ruby gave Weiss' hand a comforting squeeze. Satisfied that Ruby was ok, Weiss' gaze returned to the TV.

Weiss barely paid attention to the TV, more interested in the feeling of Ruby's hand in hers. The room stayed in relative silence, only the sounds of the uninteresting show on the TV and calm breaths. Minutes ticked by and before Weiss knew it the comfortable silence was broken. Ruby sighed, sitting up and returning her legs to the ground.

"Weeiiiisssss, I'm bored." Ruby slumped down on Weiss' shoulder, craning her neck to lean further into the crook of Weiss'. Weiss could feel Ruby's warm breath skitter across her skin, causing goose bumps to erupt on her skin. Weiss gritted her teeth, sucking in a deep breath. She kept her eyes glued to the TV screen, trying to breath evenly, trying to get her heart-rate back to normal.

Weiss felt a pair of lips on her neck and her heart-rate sky rocketed, threatening to burst out of her chest. Weiss' body went stiff but when more kisses followed the first she found herself relaxing into the couch. More kisses peppered Weiss' neck, hot lips leaving searing marks on her icy skin. Weiss craned backwards, allowing Ruby better access to her neck. A trail of kisses ran up her neck, down her jaw, towards her lips, each one lasting a second more than the last.

A hand went to Weiss' cheek, tilting her head ever so slightly so their lips met.

The first was caring, loving, soft and sweet, innocent and lasting, it lingered between them until both gasped for air. Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment before leaning back in. The second kiss was less gentle, more heated, hungry, passionate. Ruby's hand drifted from Weiss' cheek down to the nape of her neck, leaning further forwards, deepening the kiss.

Weiss found herself laying on her back, Ruby hovering just over her, dark red bangs tickling her skin, warm breath colliding with hers. With a nip of Weiss' bottom lip Ruby pulled away, staring down at Weiss for a second before returning to Weiss' neck. Weiss felt paralyzed, unable to do anything but loosely grip at the fabric of Ruby's shirt. Weiss felt a hand on her stomach, nails lightly scrapping across her abdomen, sending shivers jolting through her. Ruby's lips went to Weiss' ear.

"Weiss." Ruby's voice was low, barely above a whisper.

Weiss let out a shaky breath that she didn't know she was holding. She couldn't say anything in response, all words caught in her throat.

"What's up nerds!" The sound of a door slamming shut followed the voice.

"Oh, for fu-" The rest of Ruby's sentence was muffled by the couch cushions. Weiss quickly pushed Ruby off her, sitting up on the couch and straightening out her clothes. Yang came bouncing into the front room, usual grin in the usual place. When she saw the two on the couch, Weiss with a cherry red blush, Ruby with a childish pout and arms crossed, she raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Both girls answered simultaneously.

"No."

"Yes."

Weiss' head snapped to the side, glaring at the red head but Ruby didn't budge.

"Anyway~" Yang continued "I just got a bonus at work so, let's go for ice cream!" Yang pumped her arm in the air for added effect. Ruby's eyes instantly lit up at the promise of ice cream, Weiss on the other hand just look up at Yang curiously.

"What do you even do for a living Yang?" Weiss' voice was laced with skepticism. Yang noticed this her eyes narrowing towards the heiress.

"Well Weiss, I work at a bar-" Weiss had to physically stop herself from scoffing "-in a restaurant but I'm actually gunning for a position as a chief." A pang of guilt washed over Weiss and her smug expression dropped.

At this point Ruby was already putting on her jacket, waiting for the other two to join her at the door. Yang smiled down at Weiss for a moment before walking away to join her sister. Weiss brushed the feeling of guilt off, figuring Yang wouldn't hold it against her.

Weiss join the two sisters at the door, before following them outside.

* * *

Ruby barged through the large glass doors, excitement completely taking over her, finally reaching the ice cream parlour. Yang and Ruby would come here often, as it wasn't very far from their house. Ruby's eyes were alight with excitement as she dragged her gaze across the room. No matter how many times she came here it would always feel magical, like taking a trip back in time.

It was a 1950's style ice cream parlour. The floors were checkered black and white, the walls painted a light cream colour, covered in decorations. From old-timey, black and white photograph to comic book style posters and newspaper pages. There was a bar by the front of the shop with stools running parallel to it but they decided the to sit at one of the booths instead. The seats were a candy red leather, big enough to fit three people on each side of the table. Yang sat on one side of the table Ruby and Weiss on the other, Ruby's hand instantly slipping into Weiss'.

"So, what do you two want? You can get as much as you want, my treat." Yang had a proud grin on her face. Weiss was slightly surprised, she didn't realize Yang paying extended to her as well. She still had all of her credit cards so she could easily pay for herself, but she let it go realizing that this was the type of person Yang was. Generous and kind even when she had no reason to be.

Ruby instantly started to ramble.

"Oo, oo, I definitely want four scoops since Yang's paying, but I wonder what flavours I should choose? I could go for the classic, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry combo and get extra Chocolate or I could get something more unusual, like maybe Cookie Dough, or Chocolate Brownie, or Mint, but then there's also toppings-"

"Ruby, breath." Weiss and Yang both said in unison, before giving each other a look as if to say that's my job.

Ruby took one deep breath before continuing like she never even stopped.

"-I could get sprinkles – the multi-coloured kind not the chocolate kind- or I could get sauce or honey, or melted chocolate or cream. I should probably get some extras too, I could have a flake, or maybe a banana – y'know, to be healthy."

Yang just laughed at her sisters over-excitement.

"Are you done? Are you sure there isn't anything you missed?" Weiss said in a mocking tone which seemed to go right over Ruby's head.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure." Ruby flashed Weiss a quick grin, which Weiss couldn't help but return, before turning back to Yang. "I'm gunna need to think about this."

"Don't worry about it sis. Weiss?"

"I'll just have two scoops of vanilla, with sprinkles, please."

Ruby's head instantly snapped towards Weiss, her free hand flying to grip the older grip arm.

"Weiss, that's soooooo boring."

Weiss shrugged Ruby off her arm with a huff, although she kept their hands intertwined.

"It's not boring, it's just simple." Weiss turned her head away, chin pointed upwards, ending that conversation before it even begun.

"Okay, so Ruby what do you want? decide now or you don't get anything." Yang said in a teasing tone. Ruby's eyes went wide with panic, she didn't let another second past before she spoke.

"Okay, okay, so I want four scoops, one cookie dough, one chocolate brownie, one strawberry and one mint, with whipped cream and chocolate sauce." When Ruby finished speaking she looked incredibly proud of herself. Weiss just shook her head at the grinning red head while Yang got up to go to the counter.

"Are you even going to be able to eat all that." Weiss had one eyebrow raised at Ruby.

"Of course! I can't believe that you'd even ask that."

Letting out a heavy sigh Weiss turned to peer over the top of the seat, looking over at Yang. She saw the blonde chatting enthusiastically with the guy behind the counter.

"What's your sister doing?" Weiss nodded her head in the direction of Yang, signaling Ruby to look over.

"Oh, she's just flirting. Don't worry though it never goes anywhere. She won't be bringing drunk guys back at like 2 A.M or anything."

"It never goes past flirting?" Weiss asked, curiosity in her voice.

"Nah, She was dating someone last year. They'd been going out for a pretty long time too, maybe around two years? But they broke up. I never even met the guy all I know is that she really loved him."

"Wow." Weiss breathed out. Weiss imagined if she and Ruby had been dating for two years but then suddenly broke up. Weiss couldn't even imagine her life without Ruby now, never mind two years from now.

"Yeah. I don't think she's over it, even now. For a long time a after she just sulked and cried. I couldn't do anything, I was so useless." Ruby's voice cracked and Weiss saw that she was on the verge of tears. Weiss quickly brought her hands up to her girlfriend's cheeks, thumbs wiping the tears away.

"Hey hey, don't cry. I'm sure you did everything you could." Ruby nodded her head in Weiss' hands.

"See? So there's nothing to cry about, it's not your fault." Weiss took a quickly look over at Yang and saw she was finishing her conversation.

"Yang's coming back now and you don't want her to worry."

Ruby took in a deep breath, putting on a smile. She gave Weiss a look that said she'd be fine, before turning around too look at Yang.

Weiss sunk back in her seat, letting what she just saw and heard wash over her. Clearly Yang was in pretty bad shape if it was enough for Ruby to cry, even after all this time. Obviously Yang was more than meets the eye and Weiss felt bad for judging her like she had.

They ate their ice cream mostly in silence, Ruby too busy stuffing her face to talk. Yang and Weiss held a casual conversation, every now and again Ruby would contribute with random noises. Eventually both Weiss and Yang were just waiting for Ruby to finished her ice cream. Towards the end she started to slow down and a groan accompanied every spoonful. When she had finally finished Weiss and Yang had to practically carry her to the car.

* * *

Ruby open the door to the house, then made her way up to her room. As soon as she open the door she ran and flopped down her bed, letting out a groan.

"I told you, you shouldn't have eaten all that ice cream." Weiss' voice came from the door.

"Shut up." Ruby groaned.

"Anyway, you can't just lay around, you have that engineering test to study for.

Ruby let out another groan.

"I can study tomorrow."

"No you can't." Ruby rose up from her bed, giving Weiss a questioning look. Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Remember, tomorrow w-were going on, on a...d-date." Weiss needed to shop for clothes since she had only pack a few pairs of each. Ruby had insisted on turning the outing into a date.

"Oh yeah."

"Yes, so you have to study now."

"Fine." Ruby got up from her bed and made her way over to her desk, getting her engineering text book from her back and sitting down on her desk chair. She dropped the book down with a heavy thump, flipping it open to the right page. Ruby stretched her arms above her head, just about ready to study but then a question popped into her mind.

"Hey, Weiss." Ruby looked over her shoulder to see Weiss sat on her bead, head resting against the head board, legs stretched out on the bed. The heiress responded with a slight hum, already focused on her own text book.

"How are you going to pay for all your clothes tomorrow?"

Weiss peeked over the top of her text book to see Ruby giving her her full attention.

"Well, my father won't cancel my credit cards. He thinks I'll cave and come home before the week ends, he also he doesn't want this to be a public issue. For that same reason he won't take me out of school." Weiss spoke with a bit a resentment in her voice, clearly still anger at her farther.

"If people found out his only daughter ran away it would affect his business." A small amount of sadness had slipped into Weiss words, though Ruby caught it easily.

Weiss' father cared more about his business than his daughter, he always put it before her. It dawned on Ruby just how unwanted and unloved Weiss had probably felt. Ruby wanted to make up for that, she wanted to show Weiss just how much she needed her, just how much she wanted her. How much she loved her.

Weiss' gaze had dropped to her lap, a sullen look on her face. Ruby hated it, that self-loathing look. She would to anything to make it disappear.

Ruby crawled onto her bed, completely forgetting about studying for the moment. She laid down next to Weiss, her head resting on the heiress' shoulder, one arms snaking around her waist. The fact that Weiss had remained silent told Ruby just how much Weiss needed someone, needed her.

"I love you."

Those three words said everything Ruby wanted to and more

_I will always be here for you._

_You're my everything._

_I need you._

_I want you. _

"I love you too." A small smile made its way onto Weiss lips.

They laid there for a while, just enjoying the warmth of each other, the presence of one 's eyes had flittered shut, completely okay with just falling asleep right then. She felt so comfortable around Weiss, so safe that the nightmares that usually haunt her are nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, you actually do have to study." Of course Weiss had to remind her.

"Fine."

Ruby pushed herself off the bed, making her way back to her desk. She read line after line of information, trying to absorb it all for her test. She was completely focused on her text book but every few minutes she would look over her shoulder, look over at Weiss. The heiress was still laid on the bed, exactly like she had been before, book still in hands but now a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

The sun slowly drifted towards the horizon, setting the blanket of clouds on fire. Eventually the sky cooled, turning from oranges and pinks to deep blues. Rain pattered on the window like a million tiny earthquakes, filling the room with sound. A low thump echoed when Ruby closed her text book.

Ruby made her way over to the bed, slumping back down next to Weiss in the same position she was in before.

"Done." Ruby snuggled further into the bed, tightening her grip on Weiss. At this point she was incredibly tired and just wanted to sleep. Weiss realized that Ruby was practically asleep already and quickly spoke up.

"Ruby, I know we both slept in this bed yesterday but I don't think we should make a habit of it. Especially, after what...occurred on the couch." Ruby's face instantly lit up in a blush, remembering the events from earlier.

"Err...right." Ruby picked herself up off the bed. For a moment she just stood in the middle of the room looking nervous and lost. Weiss just stared up at her girlfriend, one eyebrow raising in curiosity.

"I'll go get...the blow up bed." She spoke with a bit of hesitation, as if Weiss would laugh in her face at the idea of sleeping on a blow up bed but when she said nothing Ruby just shrugged to herself and left the room. They kept a blow up bed in the hall closet for when one of Yang's friends was a bit too drunk to go home alone. A minute passed and Ruby came back lugging the blow up bed behind her.

It was an electrical blow up bed so all you had to do was pull it into an outlet and turned it on. Within minutes a slightly bigger than single sized bed lay on the floor of Ruby's room, complete with its own pillows and covers.

Weiss slipped under the covers, settling in to what will probably be her bed for next coming months, with a sigh her head crashed into the pillows. She found that without Ruby next to her it was uncomfortably cold.

* * *

**A/n: **Hey, heres the ninth chapter, sorry for the long wait, I guess you could say something...stressful(?) happened and because of it I wasn't really in the mood to write.

But about the chapter, So they went to the ice cream parlor, apparently Ruby likes it there. I wonder if theres a reason why...hmmmm *wiggles eyebrows*. Yang has an ex that she's struggled/still struggling to get over WONDER WHO IT IS. I don't actually know if the who the person is will become relevant (hell I don't even know who it is yet) So the next chapter Ruby and Weiss will go on their date. I was going to write about something else in this chapter but then I kinda forgot to write about it sooo yeah that's just gunna have to wait for another day.

I feel like the quality of this story had taken a hit since chapter 7 because before then I had like a end point for the story but I don't, so I guess it just kinda feels all over the place. It feels like my writing is just scattered all over the place and not forming like a coherent story line? Maybe I should try and plan the rest of the story out before I write anymore. Let me know what you guys think.

Final thing is that I'm going back to college next week so i'll have significantly less time to write, so the update might get a bit slow (well slower than they are now) and i'm sorry about this but nothing I can do :/

Please leave a review, they give me motivation to continue, even if it just to say you're enjoying reading this.

Also i feel really weird about writing that scene (you know) because i've never written anything like that before.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruby jolted awake, a loud noise disturbing her slumber.

Thunder boomed from outside, lighting streaked across the sky like a rampaging animal. The noise reverberated though Ruby, shaking her bones. She turned her head to the window. Another flash, followed by a chorus of rumbling. The noise echoed through the atmosphere, travelling for countless miles. Ruby saw the stormy grey clouds beyond her window although the figure stood in front of it caught her attention too.

Weiss was standing in front a backdrop of grey. Every time a flash of lightning struck, Weiss' eyes would light up, reflecting the flash of pure white that she just watched. She was staring up at the sky, completely lost in thought, so much that she didn't notice Ruby sit up in her bed.

Weiss eyes rested on the sky, grey and stormy, alive with thunder and lightning. She had grown to love grey skies ever since she had met Ruby and she wasn't embarrassed to admit, at least not to herself, that it was because they reminded her so much of Ruby's eyes. Ruby's eyes were grey but they weren't dull, they were alive. Full of excitement and wonder just like the sky during a storm.

Another rumble of thunder shook the room and Ruby relaxed, laying back down although she noticed Weiss seemed to cringe at the noise. Thunder was something that always calmed Ruby. A loud ominous rumble, something that seemed like it could be so devastating but was actually nothing. It made Ruby feet small, so insignificant. Which could be an amazing feeling.

Sometimes the pressure of being bumped up two years, of having to basically take care of Yang every night she came home drunk, of just being her built up. That's when she revealed in this feeling of insignificance. To know that in the grand scheme of thing, she didn't really matter, that if she messed up she could just pick herself back up again and nothing would change gave her peace of mind.

Ruby was just about to slip back into unconsciousness when she felt something pulling at her covers.

"Ruby." Weiss whispered, almost hissed, as if she was trying to be quiet while still seeming to try and wake Ruby.

Those grey stormy eyes fluttered open and Ruby tried her best to sound like she had just woken up, like she hadn't seen Weiss staring meaningfully into the sky.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, your awake." She didn't sound disappointed, more annoyed.

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's just...it's just that I-" Weiss abruptly cut herself off, looking around the room in embarrassment.

Ruby knew what she wanted to ask and she could easily bail her out. She could easily just ask for her but she felt like Weiss needed to get over this embarrassment. Weiss needed to be the one to take control for a while, until she was completely comfortable.

Weiss took one last deep breath.

"Can I sleep with you?" Weiss' voice was so meek, so unsure as if she still expected Ruby to turn her away now.

"Of course." A wide smile formed on Ruby's face.

Ruby lifted her sheets up, allowing Weiss to slip in besides her.

Weiss' arms wrapped around her girlfriends waist, her head rested on Ruby's chest. Weiss let out a deep breath, warm air skittering across Ruby's neck. Ruby could feel Weiss shaking slightly, she could feel how she desperately clutched at the fabric of her shirt.

Still Ruby didn't say anything.

Another crack of thunder rung through the air and Ruby could feel Weiss flinch against her. It took everything for Ruby to not say anything, to hold back what she wanted to say.

Though she couldn't comfort her with words she did everything she could with actions.

Soft kisses on the top of Weiss' head.

Hands stroking gently through her hair.

Light touches.

This was another thing Weiss had to do without any prompting from Ruby. Weiss needed to trust Ruby, she needed to realize that Ruby would always be there for her. That she could talk to her about anything. Ruby wanted more than anything for Weiss to trust her completely, to completely open us. Ruby wanted to be the person that Weiss came to for anything, she wanted to be someone that Weiss could talk to about anything.

But Weiss had to really want to, otherwise it just wouldn't happen.

"Ruby can I tell you something?"

Those few words made Ruby's heart fill to the point where it could bust.

"Anything." Ruby whispered the word into Weiss' hair.

For a while the only sound coming from Weiss was that of deep breaths. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

Ruby just waited in silence.

When Weiss eventually did talk, her voice was low but confident.

"When I was younger I didn't see my parents much. It was before I was old enough to really be of use. My mother would make time for me when she could but she was an extremely busy woman."

Another low rumble of thunder in the distance. Weiss' grip on Ruby tightened but the red head didn't mind. She liked that Weiss found comfort in her, more than liked it, it meant everything to her.

"Most days I wouldn't see them at all and I would go to bed than night knowing that I probably wouldn't see them the next day either." Weiss voice started to waver. Ruby could hear the pain in her words, she could tell every word stung but she kept going.

"Even though I didn't see them...I could still hear them." The last few words got caught in Weiss' throat but she forced them out. They came out in a whimper, small and weak and full of hurt.

"They would argue into the night. My father's voice would boom through the house."

Ruby's heart sank. She hated how Weiss sounded right now, so weak and pained. Scared.

"I hated it. I would lay in my bed alone, crying, but no one would ever come."

A few quiet sobs followed Weiss' last words and Ruby instinctively tightened her grip. She could feel Weiss' tears land on her neck and she could feel her body shudder with every sob. Muffled sobs were the only sound in the room, filling up the silence.

"You'll never be alone again. I'll always be there. Always." Ruby's words were confident, clear that she meant every one.

Ruby's words filled Weiss with warmth. Usually Weiss wouldn't put much faith in other people's words but she would believe Ruby's words without a second thought. She could trust Ruby's words and more importantly she realised she wanted to trust in Ruby.

Eventually Weiss' sobs stopped, silence filled the room for only a moment before Weiss spoke.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Weiss sat, the bus roughly tumbling down the street towards their destination.

She checked over her outfit for the hundredth time. Not surprisingly she wore the same white skirt, cut off just before the knee, and the same tanned boots. Her black top covered by a small white jacket and her hair in the usual pony tail.

Weiss kept her eyes glued to the window, trying to keep her nervousness from showing. She felt Ruby squeeze her hand and automatically Weiss' head turned to face her.

Weiss' eyes travelled down her girlfriend. From her messy raven hair to her maroon red sweatshirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, that had some kind of vintage style logo on the front which Weiss didn't recognise. Her black skinny jeans worn and tore, and Weiss was pretty sure she didn't buy them like that. She wore the same raggedy pair of red converse that she always wore.

Ruby gave Weiss a comforting smile as if she could see through the mask she had put up to hide her nervousness.

Weiss was incredibly nervous. More than she expected she'd be, way more than she should be but the fact that it was her first proper..._date _with Ruby just got to her. She knew there was a possibility she could mess up, like somehow time spent on a date was different from just spending time together. It had to be special somehow.

The bus screeched to a halt and Ruby dragged Weiss up from her seat by her hands. The two girls quickly made their way off the bus.

Weiss' heels clicked against the concrete as she and Ruby walked towards the shopping mall but she only got as far as a couple of steps. Ruby took off in a sprit, leaving a shocked Weiss behind her. Ruby turned to look at Weiss with a large grin on her face and shouted out to her.

"Meet me at the front, I have a great idea!" With that she turned back and continued running, after a second she rounded a corner and was out of sight.

Weiss was left completely confused, a blank look on her face.

She had no idea what Ruby was planning but if she just stood around she would never figure out so with a sigh she started walking in the direction Ruby had run off.

Just a few minutes of walking and Ruby was in sight again. She sat on the small wall that ringed the fountain intro of the mall. She was pretending that she didn't see Weiss walking up to her until Weiss got close. When she finally noticed Weiss she stood up and folded her arms across her chest, an annoyed look on her face, while obviously fake still made Weiss' brow furrow in confusion.

"Weiss. you're late! I've been waiting for like an hour." By the end of her sentence, Ruby's frown had cracked and a goofy grin took its place, accompanied by a few snickers.

Weiss saw that Ruby wanted to pretend like they were a normal couple, or whatever counted for a normal couple in her eyes. Weiss felt a pang of guilt over the fact that it was mostly her fault that they weren't really a normal couple, because of the fact that Weiss had ran away and now they lived together. That made it seem like they were a lot further along in their relationship that they actually were, almost as if they had skipped a whole bunch of steps.

Ruby probably wanted to try to imitate the excitement of a first date, the nervousness of waiting for them to arrive.

Ruby probably wanted all those things that came with a new relationship and so Weiss played along with her little gimmick.

"I'm sorry, I just _couldn't _decide on what to wear." Weiss wore her own smirk now to accompany Ruby's grin.

Ruby just let out a small giggle, grabbing hold of Weiss' hand and pulling her towards the entrance.

"Thanks for playing along, I've seen that on TV so many times."

Weiss let out a small laugh of her own.

"You should stop watching those trashy shows, they're terrible."

"I know they're trashy. That's the whole point, they're so cheesy that they're amazing."

Weiss just sighed and shook her head, deciding to just drop the issue.

She looked towards the mall. It was a large, fairly old building, made mostly of brick. It towered over them as they entered the large glass doors. Once inside Weiss saw the crowds of people walking every which way. Rows of shops on either side, most of which Weiss didn't even recognise.

Suddenly among the crowds of people Weiss became skittish again. Suddenly she was really aware of Ruby's hand in hers. She was suddenly aware of the fact that they were very much in public and that anyone could see them.

The look on Ruby's face told Weiss that she didn't really care. The red head's excited smile put Weiss instantly at ease.

She decided that she should just enjoy this time.

After all she could easily justify to anyone why Ruby and her were holding hands, not that anyone would even ask, but if the unlikely event that they ran into someone from their school did happen they probably wouldn't even think it was strange. Ruby had always been a bit over affectionate with Weiss, not that she was complaining.

Weiss let Ruby lead her around, dragging her into every random shop. They spent a decent amount of time in each shop, causally browsing whatever was inside. Weiss was less than enthusiastic about most of the random items they came across, but Ruby's eyes seemed to light up with excitement over practically anything.

Eventually they decided to sit down and have lunch. They sat down at a cafe to eat, Ruby had said this place was okay and since Weiss knew nowhere else to eat so she had no choice but to go along with whatever Ruby said.

Ruby pushed open the door to the shop Weiss following shortly behind her. As soon as she got inside she was hit with the strong scent of coffee. She drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of fresh coffee. It was something she had grown to enjoy after long nights of study with her cup of coffee to keep her going.

Weiss scanned over the room, it was a fairly normal coffee shop. Circular tables were scattered across the room, surrounded by chairs. The wooden floors clicked against Weiss' heels as Ruby lead them over to a table. The light inside was dim, just enough so you could see clearly. Weiss took a seat at the table Ruby had chosen for them, one far off in the corner off the shop.

Weiss took her seat across from Ruby and watched as she took hers. Ruby rested her head in her hands and gave Weiss one of her amazing smiles, causing a blush to erupt on Weiss' cheeks. Eager to start the conversation Weiss said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Any particular reason you choose to eat here?"

The place seemed really ordinary yet Ruby had been adamant that they should eat here. Knowing Ruby there was some kind of back-story to this place and it held some sentimental value to her, a lot of the places Ruby went to seemed to be like that and it was something Weiss found incredibly adorable.

Ruby's arms dropped and folded on the table, her face buried into them, mumbling her words.

"Well there is but it's really embarrassing."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, Ruby's words just made Weiss want to know all the more. Weiss leaned across the table, lowering her voice.

"You really shouldn't keep secrets from your girlfriend Ruby." Weiss spoke in a playful tone adding a few pokes to the top of Ruby's head for good measure.

Ruby just giggled, her laughs muffled by her sleeve. She picked her head back up and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face.

"Okay fine. You see that girl behind the counter." Ruby said without turning around, only motioning in the direction of the front of the shop with her eyes.

Weiss looked over to the counter where a girl stood behind it, currently serving a customer. She had raven black hair, that spilt over her left shoulder and covered one eye, the other shone a fiery amber. Weiss turned back to Ruby and nodded.

"Well...err, I...I used to have a massive crush on her."

A small smile appeared on Weiss' lips.

"I used to come here a lot, whenever I could, just so I could see her. I stopped when..." Ruby's words got quieter towards the end of her sentence, fading off into silence.

"When?" Weiss prompted.

"When I met you." A smile had made its way onto Ruby's lips, her eyes looking into Weiss'. Weiss felt a rush of warmth from Ruby's words and couldn't help smile back at the red head.

The two girls sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the company of one another. Ruby was twirling a fork around in her hand while Weiss was browsing a menu she had found on the table. Ruby looked unsure, as if she was holding he back from saying something. Weiss just occasionally peeked over the top of her menu to see the same look.

"Weiss?"

The heiress responded with a small hum.

"Did you have a crush on anymore before me?"

Ruby spoke so nonchalantly that the question caught Weiss off guard. Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth parted as she stared at the girl across the table. Ruby had a blank look on her face but Weiss knew she was hiding her nervousness.

Weiss knew that she couldn't lie about this, also she knew that had to be confident in her words so it didn't seem like she was lying. She knew that Ruby deserves the truth. So that was what she gave her.

"No."

Ruby's hand stopped, the fork dangling in her grip. She had a shocked look on her face, expecting a completely different answer.

Weiss reached her hand across the table, her fingertips just reaching Ruby's and she lightly place them over the top of Ruby's. She hoped that this was doing something to reassure her that Weiss was telling the truth.

"You are the first and only person I have ever liked." Weiss said the words without hesitation, keeping eye contact with Ruby the whole time. She lightly squeezed at Ruby's hand before pulling back.

A wide smile appeared on Ruby's, her eyes lit up with joy.

"Awwww, Weiss that makes me feeling so special."

"It'd better you dolt. You're lucky that I fell for you."

Ruby's smile became soft, a small curve of her lips and her eyes seemed to stare right into Weiss' soul. Weiss found herself counting the seconds until Ruby spoke.

"I am lucky." Her words were heartfelt, soft and sincere.

A few moments passed and Ruby picked herself up out of her chair, suddenly shattering the trance like state Weiss was it.

"I'll go order us something, what do you want?"

Weiss looked over the menu once more before putting it back in the holder and answering.

"I'll just have a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich please."

Ruby just nodded and make her way to join the small line of people leading to the counter.

Weiss' eyes never left Ruby, watching her until she made her way to the front of the cue. She mulled over the moment they had just shared. She was pretty amazed how Ruby could just changed the mood like that. Weiss realised it was probably because she held so much value in Ruby's words, especially when compared to that of most other people. Weiss could trust Ruby's words, she could believe in them. So when she uttered those words it meant the world to Weiss.

Ruby had now reached the front of the line and was talking enthusiastically with the girl she had confessed to having a crush on. Weiss watched them both with slightly narrowed eyes. It would be a lie to say she was jealous, just...worried.

There was always that inkling of fear. That small amount of dread clawing at the back of her mind. Almost everyone important to her had abandoned her eventually and it was in Weiss' nature to expect Ruby to do the same.

Ruby turned at the counter, finished with ordering, to see Weiss staring at her. Ruby just smiled at Weiss and that smile blew away any doubt that Weiss had.

Ruby quickly made her way back over to Weiss, taking her seat.

"Our food will be here in a bit."

"What did you order" Weiss asked, a bit hesitate to hear the answer.

"Err..." Ruby's lips curled up in a small grin.

Weiss just shook her head, knowing that her girlfriend will have ordered something ridiculous. She decided to just let it go for the moment and steered the conversation to a different topic. While they waited for their food they just maintained casual conversation, talking about.

Where they would be going after they had eaten; how Yang was probably going to be mad at Ruby and Weiss for ignoring her texts while they were on a date and about the mock exams coming up just before winter break and how Ruby would need to study.

Weiss' phone buzzed on the table again, interrupting their conversation for the third time.

The heiress quickly read over the message, then looked to Ruby.

"It says, tell Ruby to stop ignoring me." Weiss said in a flat tone. Ruby just sighed and gave her a apologetic look. After two missed calls and a few ignored text messages, Yang had tried Weiss instead, hoping she could convince Ruby to reply. Weiss had no intention of doing so, it may have been a bit childish or selfish but she wanted Ruby to herself at least for a little while.

"Just ignore her. She can be a bit overwhelming at times but she means well."

"I can imagine." A small amount off annoyance was in Weiss' voice, clearly frustrated at the multiple interruptions.

"Soon you won't have to imagine." Ruby said with a small laugh.

Weiss just looked up at Ruby, confused.

"Yang's starting to like you and soon she'll treat you just like she treats me. Like a sister." Ruby said with a genuine smile, clearly happy that Yang was warming up to Weiss.

Weiss on the other hand just looked at Ruby like she was a mad woman. Ruby noticed this and kept trying to convince Weiss.

"Trust me, this is just like when I first met Yang. Believe it or not, she didn't even like me when we first met. Probably thought I was trying to invade her family and take her place or something." Ruby said that last sentence with a hit of hurt, her face scrunching up in pain for a moment but after a second her usual cheerful expression returned.

"But eventually I won her over." Ruby said with a proud grin.

"Oh and she's loyal too. Once you've got her, you've got her forever." Ruby said with a laugh, although with the way she said it Weiss could tell she was extreme gratefully that Yang was always there for her and always would be.

Weiss tried to imagine that, tried to image Yang being there for her like she was for Ruby. Weiss tried imagining trusting Yang like she did trusted Ruby.

The idea seemed crazy and made her want to laugh. Although a small part of her hoped Ruby was right.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a waiter walked up to their table. He set two dishes down on the table said the obligatory greeting before leavingt.

Weiss stared at what had been placed in front of Ruby and Ruby started a Weiss, chewing on her bottom lip nervously and tried her best to look cute.

Ruby had ordered some kind of chocolate sundae. A large glass, filled with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate brownie and caramel, all topped with whipped cream.

"Really?" Weiss' eyes turned upwards to meet Ruby's

"I promise I eat something proper later, I just couldn't help myself. Please Weiss?" Ruby begged, putting on her best puppy dog eyes.

Weiss knew she wouldn't be able to hold out long against Ruby's eyes so she used what little time she had to scold Ruby about getting a proper meal later before letting it go.

She then focused her attention on her sandwich. Weiss didn't like to talk while she ate and Ruby obviously knew this by now as she remained completely silent until Weiss had finished eating. As soon as Weiss had finished though, she didn't hold back.

"Oh my god Weiss, you have to try some of this." Ruby scooped up a large amount of her chocolate concoction on her spoon and held it out for Weiss, leaving no room for an argument.

Weiss, after a moment of hesitation, ate what Ruby had held out for her. The flavours clashed with the lingering taste of her sandwich but was amazing none the less and she let Ruby know that too. The red head beamed a small smile at Weiss' words and then went back to eating her 'meal'.

When Ruby had finished they exited the cafe and started making their way round the mall. They made their way in and out of a few clothes shops, Weiss buying a fair share of new clothes. Ruby even managed to convince Weiss to spend a good hour in an arcade.

They spent most of the time while in the arcade playing Dance Dance Revolution. Ruby was practically a pro, and explained to Weiss that she and Yang used to play this game a lot when they were young. It took Weiss some time to get used to the game, Ruby laughing at her every time she almost fell, but eventually she started getting better and by the end she was actually enjoying herself.

While in the arcade they also played a few rounds of a claw machine, Weiss explaining to Ruby how the game was actually rigged but Ruby just pouted saying that it was still fun anyway. They also played a round of House Of The Dead, which Ruby was also amazingly good at. Weiss had less trouble with this game, mostly using her fear of the zombies attacking them to her advantage. Ruby was just laughing at her – again – every time she shrieked because something jumped out at them.

When they left the arcade they saw a familiar head of orange hair skipping out of another shop. She instantly noticed Weiss and Ruby and waved. Ruby returned the wave and the girl apparently took they as an invitation to skip over and talk to them.

"Hey Ruby, Weiss."

"Hey Nora." Ruby replied happily. Weiss opted for a polite hello.

Nora Valkyrie. A girl from their school who was pretty high up on the social ladder and was friends with pretty much everyone in the school.

"What's in the bag?" Ruby asked, referring to the plastic bags Nora clutched to her side.

"Oh! Just a few things for my party, which reminds me I was going to invite you too. You'll come right?"

Ruby glanced at Weiss, flashing her a pleading look.

Weiss just sighed and gave her a little nod.

"Yeah sure, we'd love to come." Ruby said turning back to Nora.

"Awesome. It's next weekend, one last night of fun before we all have to start studying." Nora said the last few words in a sing song voice before tapping Ruby on the nose, which was something she would do for people she was particularly fond off. She then skipped past Ruby and Weiss and disappeared into the thinning crowds.

Weiss looked at Ruby when she was sure Nora couldn't hear them anymore.

"Do we really have to go?" She said, sounding a bit more like a whiny child that she hoped.

"Yeah, it'll be fun Weiss. Don't be such a bore." Ruby then bumped their shoulders together, somehow thinking that it would make her less grumpy about going.

"Will Yang even want you going?" Weiss raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"Well...She never has before but this time you'll be coming so..." Ruby said still sounding unsure whether Yang would actually let her go.

"Oh, so you're just using me to get into parties?" Weiss' lips curled up in a teasing smirk.

"No! Of course not/"

"I know you dolt, i'm just teasing you."

Ruby half heartedly shoved Weiss, before looking at her watch.

"We sound probably be getting back now. It's seven."

"Yeah lets go."

Ruby smile and took Weiss' hand in her own, pulling her towards the exit.

It was a short walk back to the bus stop, the silence mostly being filled with random small chat between the two girls. They only had to wait for a few minutes until the bus pulled up at the stop and they got on.

The journey was spent with no talk, the rattle of the bus and hum of the engine to loud too talk over. Weiss just started out of the window into the dark night, the sun having set a while ago. For a while her mind was blank, staring up into the equally blank night sky as the stars were being hidden by the city's lights.

Her thoughts drifted back to earlier. About how time spent on a date had to be 'special' somehow. She thought the things they had done today were pretty ordinary. A small sense of doubt started to grow inside of her, worried that Ruby didn't have a good time as Weiss had believed. Before she could think too much about it though she was being pulled from her seat by Ruby.

The walk home consisted of the silence of the night and Ruby's head on Weiss' shoulder, hands locked as they walked. That small sense of doubt was still growing, slowly but surely, inside Weiss. Every second Weiss didn't say anything, she was a bit more convinced that Ruby hadn't enjoyed their date.

Weiss decided that she need to know for sure.

Although she didn't wanted to ruin this comfortable silence so she waited until they got back to the house.

Ruby opened the door and was instantly greeted by Yang's voice.

"Why were you ignoring me1?" She shouted from the couch.

"Because we were on a date and didn't want to be interrupted?" Ruby called back instantly as if she already had it prepared.

Weiss heard Yang growl from her spot on the couch and it reminded Weiss and that day that seemed so long ago, when she had experienced the full force of Yang's anger. Weiss found it amusing that it seemed long ago, when in fact it was barely a week.

Weiss followed Ruby up to her room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she felt the door shut, words fell out of her mouth.

"Ruby?" Weiss' voice was small and meek, causing Ruby to spin around, face showing concern.

"Was our date...okay?" Weiss forced the question out. In the few seconds of silence that followed Weiss doubt skyrocketed. Her eyes were on the floor, too nervous to even look at Ruby because of the possibility of see something she didn't like.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked in a soft voice.

"Aren't dates supposed to be...special or something? Everything we did today just seemed pretty ordinary and didn't feel very special and I thought you might have been disappointed." Weiss said, her voice wavering with every word.

Silence was her only answer for a few moments and Weiss felt her heart beat wildly in her chest.

She only calmed down when she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist. She lifted her head to mean Ruby's eyes.

Weiss felt a pair of lips on hers and she wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, pulling her closer. The kiss was soft and gentle. It was reassuring. Her heart still beat rapidly in her chest, but it was different now. It was a good feeling, instead of gnawing doubt. She wanted that moment to last forever, just like every other kiss they shared. Weiss felt electricity shoot up and down her body, leaving tingling sensations all over.

The kiss was all the reassurance she needed but when Ruby pulled away she whispered into Weiss' ear.

"Every moment with you is special. No matter what."

A\n: I stayed up way to late writing this...oh well. This chapter is a litter longer that most (usually they're around 4000 words with the exception of chapter 6, this one is 5,200).

Sorry this took a while, i've started back up at college and it's pretty stressful and I don't have much time to write. Maybe it's a good thing though, as before when I had a lot of time, I would spread my work out, so I would have the document open all day but not really focus on it and just write maybe 200-500words in one day. Where as now I have less time so i'm more focused when I do actually get around to writing and I managed to write this is two sittings, which it pretty good for me.

With chapter 9 this story hit 100 favourites and nearly 200 follows, which is amazing. I'd never thought this story would get so much attention, it was sort of just a test to see if i could actually write anything half decent which i guess I can.

Please leave a review even if it's just to say that you're enjoying the story. Reviews give me major motivation to continue and I love getting them.


	11. Chapter 11

Weiss gazed lazily into the sky, a white blanket of clouds hanging over her. The air was cool and crisp, sending a small chill shooting up and down her body. Wind blew gently against her, a few stray strands of hair being ruffled. Leaves of trees rustled against the light wind, a few falling gracefully to the ground. Dots of red, orange and yellow drifting towards the ground, eventually resting on the dull, damaged concrete. The cracked pavement beneath her, grey and worn, clicked almost soundlessly as her feet carried her. Splashes of burning reds painted the roads, piles of withering leaves colouring the world. She felt light, like a feather.

She looked over to the girl walking next to her. That happy smile that she always wore still in it's rightful place. Those eyes that she loved so much still full of joy, still alive with that light that she always searched for. That light that she craved. That light that could bring a smile to her face when nothing else could.

She let out a heavy sigh, a small cloud of white forming. Everything seemed so trivial now that she had cut her father out of her life. There was no weight on her shoulders. No overbearing pressure. No fear of what would happen if she were to step out of line. School was something she could enjoy again, her life was something she could enjoy again. For once, it was her life to live.

She was free. And she felt free.

She felt like she was just falling, but it didn't matter that she was just falling.

The walks home were something that Weiss had come to treasure. The roads were always so void of anything, the silence so loud. The world seemed so small in that short time, so empty. Everything just faded to the background. Every moment felt so long, yet it passed so quickly. Clinging to each second, wishing for them to last just that bit longer. It was time that she and Ruby could spend completely alone.

Weiss' mind was drawn to the feeling of Ruby's hand in hers. How feeling practically nothing made her feel everything all at once, how that small feeling made her heart full to burst. The sensation that could send her heart racing while also calming her down. Fingers gently brushing up against hers, Ruby's touches sent electricity jolting through her. Just how important was feeling was to her? she could live without it anymore.

Ruby was usually silent during these walks, mostly because she knew thats how Weiss liked it. So in those minutes between the school and home that used to be so full of car engines and orders from her father she revelled in the silence. She soaked up the quiet, let the silence calm her and melt her worries away.

She could hear the sound of her own heart, beating steadily. It thumped loudly in her ears, always reminding her that she was in fact, still alive.

But those walks away came to an end. They would always reach Ruby's home and everything would go back to normal.

Ruby opened the door and made her way into the house. She quickly kicked off her shoes and called out to Yang.

"Hey Yang, were back!"

"Hey!" Yang called back.

Ruby was just about to head upstairs when Yang appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Rubes...can I talk to you? In...er-" Yang scratched at the back of her neck, seemingly nervous.

"Yeah, I guess?" Ruby replied, confused as to why Yang was acting so strange. Ruby followed Yang into the next room, hearing Weiss' footsteps as she climbed the stairs.

Yang rested her hands on the counter, silent for a few seconds. Her eyes seemed to skitter around the room, not once landing on Ruby. The sound of Ruby's door slamming shut echoed through the houses and Yang let out a deep breath.

"It's about Weiss." Her eyes snapped to Ruby as soon as the words fell from her mouth, so quiet and meek, as if she was scared they would shatter her sister.

Ruby's heart stopped for a moment. Panic flooding through her body, crashing into her. Despite what she had said yesterday she knew that Weiss wasn't Yang's favourite person just quite yet.

"Wh-What about Weiss?" Ruby said, her words laced with nerves.

Yang took one more deep breath, her eyes locked on Ruby's.

"When is she going to be leaving?"

Yangs words echoed in Ruby's mind and she was left silent for a moment. She felt the tips of her fingers go numb and dread sink in.

"What are you talking about?! Yang...please don't kick her out." Ruby begged, her emotions quickly flipping from anger to desperation.

"What! I wouldn't kick her out but she can't live here forever Ruby!" Yang shouted back, her own anger surfacing.

"I know...I know, it's just...She can't go back to her home! She can't go back to him...he'll...he'll take her away from me." Hurt and anger screamed from Ruby's features and tears stung the back of her eyes. The thought of losing Weiss tore her apart inside.

"Ruby, this is something her and her father need to talk about." Yang took a step towards Ruby, reaching out with her hands but Ruby just flinched away from the touch.

"Don't!"

"Ruby..."

"No...I- I just need to go..."

As soon as the words left her mouth Ruby turned. She quickly made her way to the front door, putting her shoes back on. The blonde made no attempt to go after her because she knew that she needed some time.

Ruby slammed the door behind her as she left, the whole house shaking. A few seconds later Weiss came running down the stairs. Turning to Yang she asked.

"What happened?" Her eyes were full of panic.

"Don't worry, Ruby's just...run off." Yang said trying her best to reassure her.

"What do you mean 'Don't worry'!?" Weiss said, her eyes wide.

"She does it all the time, usually I would go after he but I'd say that's your job now." Yang's lips curled up into a small, sad smile.

Weiss seemed to relax slightly but still looked on edge.

"Ok...so where should I look for her?" Weiss said urgently, desperate to go look for Ruby.

Yang smirked slightly, her lip tugging upwards in a goofy half smile that remind Weiss of Ruby.

"Well, she'd go somewhere that she knows you'll find her. So probably somewhere we've been recently."

"Ok...Is that all?"

"Yup! That's it." Yang grinned at her, like it was some kind of game of hide and seek but Weiss didn't have time to question her any further.

Weiss made her way to the door in a hurry. Just as she pulled the door back Yang called out.

"Oh, and Weiss..."

Weiss turned her head towards the blonde. Yang stood in the doorway behind her, a soft smile on her lips, her eyes just as soft.

"Despite how much she says she wants to be alone...what she really wants is to be found."

* * *

Ruby sat, mindlessly swirling the ice cream in front of her until it became just a mess of colours. She pushed the bowl away from her with a sigh and rested her head in her arms, staring lazily at the empty seat across from her. Her mind was barren, a desert of thoughtlessness.

She took a look around the room, it was completely empty. No one other than Ruby and the guy behind the counter. And she hated how quite it was.

She pulled her bowl back towards her, returning to the task of swirling her ice cream randomly. The sound of the spoon scrapping against the bowl filling the room. She need something to focus on, something to rid her mind of thoughts of Weiss being forcefully ripped out of her life.

For a while she sat in silence, watching her ice cream slowly mix together, colours melting into one.

The sound of a bell rang through the room, snapping Ruby from whatever trance she was in. The noise made her flinch slightly, her actions stopping completely. She tensed up slightly, nervous for whoever had just walked in. Although the back of her mind desperately screamed for it to be Weiss.

"Ruby." Weiss' voice came from beside her, gentle and calm.

A wide smile appeared on Ruby's face, though she didn't turn towards Weiss.

"Hey." Came her reply.

With a sigh Weiss took a seat across from Ruby. Ruby's eyes never met Weiss', finding the table much more interesting. Weiss didn't stare at Ruby, didn't pressure her into talking at all. She just sat, staring lazily out of the window next to the table.

Ruby sat, listening to the sound of Weiss' calm breaths that seemed to echo in the quiet room. She let thoughts buzz around her head eventually deciding on what to say.

"I bet you think it's stupid that I came here, huh?" Ruby said with a dry laugh. Ruby looked around the empty ice cream parlour, with its bright, colourful walls and checkered floor.

"Not at all. I think it's very fitting." Weiss said with a slight grin. In response Ruby just smiled brightly. The silence settled again only for Ruby to break it.

"There is another place I would have gone, but..." Ruby cut her sentence short, her words fading off into nothing.

Ruby looked up, meeting Weiss' eyes for the first time.

"Can we go there?"

Weiss let a small smile appear on her lips.

"Sure."

Ruby picked herself up out of her seat, Weiss following a moment after. They both exited the small shop, the sound of the bell ringing out into the world as they left. As soon as they got outside Ruby linked her hand with Weiss' and flashed that soft, loving smile that she had. Weiss' face started to heat up but Ruby had already started pulling her along.

"There's a reason I went there first y'know."

"What do you mean?"

"That ice cream parlour...my mom always used to take me there as a kid."

As Ruby said those words she turned her head, looking back at the building once more. Her lips curled into a light, sad smile, emotions from her past flickering in her eyes. Weiss tightened her hand around Ruby's, desperate to make that pained expression disappear.

Ruby's head snapped towards Weiss, a ghost of that hurt smile still on her lips.

"Let's go, it's not too far from here." Ruby sounded slightly distracted, as if she was still lingering in the memories of her mother.

Ruby picked up the pace, Weiss' hand never leaving hers. After a few minutes of walking they reached a small fence that Ruby hopped over with ease. Weiss was more careful climbing the rickety wooden fence but still made it over.

The grass crunched beneath Weiss' feet as they walked across an open field, heading towards a thin line of trees. Shadows hung over them as they entered the forest. Small stings of light shone down through the holes in the trees, bringing the area to life. The wind blew gently, picking up a few fallen leaves and sending them floating through the air. Twigs cracked and snapped with every step, the sounds boomed like thunder through the tranquil darkness.

The ground started to slant upwards and Weiss realized they were walking up at hill.

Ruby was silent the whole way, only looking back at Weiss with a nervous smile.

A bundle of nerves started to form in the pit of Weiss' stomach. Ruby had never actually told Weiss anything about her mother, but something told her, a tingling in the back of her mind that Ruby was going to pour her heart out when they reached wherever they were going.

Weiss didn't want to see Ruby with such a pained expression, she didn't wanted to hear her force out her own words. She didn't want to see tears run down her face. But she knew she had to. She knew that Ruby needed someone to share this with. Someone to help her bare the pain that she carried with her every day. She needed Weiss.

The trees ended. Weiss took a deep breath, sucking in the fresh, cool air. She let her eyes fall closed and stepped out.

When she opened her eyes, fiery orange light flooded in. She blinked through the light, seeing a small clearing on top of a hill. From where she stood she could see endless trees bathed in orange. They danced in the wind, creating the illusion of a sea of fire. The sun was disappearing behind the earth, setting the horizon ablaze. Warmth washed over her, heating her numbed fingers.

She looked towards Ruby. The red head gazing out over the world, memories again dancing around in her eyes. But this time there wasn't a pained smile on her face. It was just soft. Gentle. Happy.

Ruby's eyes meet Weiss'.

"Wanna sit down?" She said with a smile.

Weiss just nodded. Ruby pulled them over to where the land started to dip and sat down. Weiss kept herself propped up with her hands while Ruby laid out flat. Ruby let out a loud sigh, letting her eyes fall shut. Weiss turned to her, stared down at the girl laid next to her a small smile on her lips.

"Wanna know why I love this place?" Ruby said without opening her eyes.

"Surely it's the view you dolt." Weiss replied lightly, earning a small laugh from Ruby.

"Well, it is that but...me and Yang used to spend a lot times up here as kids."

Weiss' smile only grew. She loved that Ruby had tones of different places that were special to her, for one reason or another and she loved that Ruby was willing to share them with her. Weiss could only think of one place special to her and that was the school library, the place she had met Ruby.

Ruby sat up suddenly, her eyes open once again.

"See that bench over there?" She nodded in the direction she was facing.

Weiss turned to see a wooden bench. It was smashed up, to the point that calling it a bench was a stretch.

"What about it?" Weiss asked turning back to Ruby.

"Yang did that."

Weiss' eyes widened, darting back to the bench for a moment then to Ruby. Ruby stared back at her with a goofy grin on her face.

"What like...with her fists?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah!" Ruby said with a chuckle. "It was crazy, she was so worked up over...something, something so unimportant that I can't even remember what it was anymore and she just started hitting the bench. It ended up like that."

"Wow. You're sister is way too scary. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Ruby's grin slowly turning into that soft smile that Weiss loved so much.

Ruby leaned in, capturing Weiss' lips in a soft embrace. Weiss instantly melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms loosely around a Ruby's neck, pulling her closer. Weiss could her heart hammer in her chest and warm course through her body. She savoured every second of the moment, engraving it permanently into her heart.

Their lips parted and Ruby laid back, pulling Weiss with her. Weiss' arms stayed around Ruby's neck and Ruby's head rested on her chest. Weiss let her eyelids flutter shut, surrounded by darkness and warmth. She inhaled, the familiar scent of roses that always reminded her of Ruby.

"Weiss?"

Weiss let out a small hum in response.

"Can I tell you about my mom?"

Weiss when rigid for a moment, her eyes shooting back open. She pulled back slightly, looking into Ruby's eyes.

And there it was. That pained expression, those hurt eyes. Weiss could see fear swirling around in those pools of deep grey. The insecurity. That hesitation to say whatever she was about to say. She could see all the memories that rose to the surface and all the emotion they brought with them.

She nodded, never breaking eye contact with Ruby.

For a while Ruby was silence, her breathes calm and level. Words danced on the edge of her tongue but where never able to make it out.

Eventually she spoke.

"My mom died three years ago." Her voice was so meek, so small that her word were almost non-existent. In that moment, she sounded so weak, so fearful that it ripped Weiss' heart to shreds.

"Afterwards, I felt so...numb." Ruby tore her eyes away from Weiss'. Weiss pulled her closer, doing everything she could to try and comfort her.

"I just didn't feel anything...or maybe I felt everything all at once?" Ruby voice was laced in confusion, still unsure of how she felt about her mother's passing.

"I didn't know what I felt, and I hated myself for it." Weiss could hear the tears in her voice as Ruby's hands gripped the fabric of Weiss' clothes tightly.

"I thought I should feel more- more...something." Ruby forced the last word out, her voice hoarse.

"I just felt numb. And everything just stopped."

Ruby stayed quiet for a while, muffled sobs drifting into the air. Weiss tilted Ruby's head with her hand, so their eyes meet. Weiss' thumb stroke gently against Ruby's cheek, before bringing their lips together. When Weiss pulled away, she smiled softly at Ruby.

Ruby took in a deep breath, returning Weiss' smile.

"Eventually everything started again. The world carried on spinning and I didn't want to get left behind." Ruby said with newfound confidence behind her voice.

"Everything went on as normal, except for me it wasn't. For me there was a large part of my life that had just been ripped away from me, but it didn't really seem like it." Ruby's arms tightened around Weiss as she let out on shaky breath.

"Y'know." Her voice seemed to get even smaller than before.

"Sometimes...sometimes I'd expect her to walk through my door, that huge smile on her face like she always used to." Ruby's words had a small amount of happiness to them, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"But then i'd realize that she never would."

Weiss was at a completely lose for words. She didn't know what to say but she realized that she didn't need to say anything. If the positions were swapped, and she was the one pouring her heart out to Ruby, just her mere presence would mean the world to Weiss.

Weiss squeezed Ruby, grey meeting cold blue. Weiss could see the tears in her eyes, the tears that she had held back for three years. Her lips curled into a small smile, trying her best to say.

_Everything is going to be okay._

Ruby returned the smile, pulling Weiss closer, resting her head in the crook of the heiress' neck. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the company of one another, the way their body's felt against each others. Listening to each others breathes, calm and gentle.

When Ruby pulled away, Weiss' face was bathed in orange light. That soft, genuine smile that Ruby rarely saw, perched carefully on her lips. Her eyes shimmered in the light, like ice on a warm winter morning.

Ruby turned her head back towards the horizon, her smile widening.

"Weiss! Look at that sunset, wanna watch together?"

"Nope."

Ruby's head snapped towards Weiss, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"What do you mean no? It's so beautiful though." Ruby said slightly disheartened, a slight pout on her face.

"You're so much more beautiful."

Weiss leaned in, pressing her lips to Ruby's. She felt heat flood her body, her heart thump loudly in her chest. She inched closer, desperate for more of this feeling, desperate to close the distance between her and Ruby. Weiss could feel hands skitter across her side, soft touches setting her skin on fire. Weiss pulled away, just slight, so she could look into Ruby's eyes. Pools of grey staring back at her, love, affection, want all present.

Weiss propped herself up, hovering over Ruby. For a moment she just stared down at Ruby, her bottom lip clamped loosely between her teeth, either from nerves or fear. But after a moment passed, one tick of the clock, one beat of her heart, all her nerves melted away.

She noticed Ruby's smile. That soft, sweet, loving smile that she saved just for Weiss. That smile that said 'I love you' a thousand times over.

Weiss leaned back down, pressing a kiss to her girlfriends lips. It was a soft kiss, a kiss that Weiss poured all her emotion and feeling into. Weiss inhaled deeply, wishing the moment could last forever. She pulled away but after a second their lips joined again.

The kiss was filled with heat and passion, their lips crashing together. Weiss continued until her lungs burn and she had to pull away. When she did she when straight for Ruby's neck but just before her lips made contact with the warm skin she stopped for a moment.

"This is payback for last time." Weiss whispered in a hushed tone, her voice thick with affection. Warm breath collided with Ruby's neck causing her to shiver.

Weiss attached her lips to Ruby's neck, placing light kisses and sucking softly on the skin. She felt Ruby's hand grip tightly at the fabric of her shirt, the other tangle in her hair. She heard Ruby's breaths become quicker, encouraging Weiss to keep going.

Weiss returned to Ruby's lips, placing kiss after kiss, all of them just as passionate as the last. Weiss hands slip down Ruby's arms, eventually locking their fingers together. Weiss' slowed, one last kiss that became deep and full, carrying on until Weiss' lungs burned and begged for air. She pulled away reluctantly, slowly, her eyes not leaving Ruby's.

She lowered herself back to the grass, still staring towards Ruby as she tried to slow her breathing.

Ruby just stared back at her, a small smile on her face.

Weiss turned her head to the sky, darkness covered by clouds hung over her. The silence of the night sounded so loud, so final like nothing could break it. But she found her voice, three last words that she couldn't help but say.

"I love you." Those three words that Weiss thought she would never say.

"I love you." Ruby's voice was so soft and her words filled Weiss' heart with warmth. Those three words that meant everything to Weiss, that one thing that she always needed to be reminded of. The one thing she never felt she deserved.

* * *

**A/n: **Damn Weiss, you smooth gurl.

**IMPORTANT: **So I know the updates have been few and far between for a while now, and even though this most recent one isn't my fault as my laptop broke just as I was about to finish this chapter, I still feel bad. So I'm gunna give you not one but TWO chapters, thats right TWO chapters. So yeah the next chapter will go up in 2 days, I have it finished and edited and everything, just gotta give people some time to review ;).

**Not Important: **So, in this chapter Ruby talks about her mother a bit...and it's something that really hit close to home for me as I lost a parent a year ago and it's just something you never really recover from. So basically most of Ruby's emotions in this chapter come from myself..dunno if they really work, or if that truly how her character would feel but it's just going to have to do.

And i wrote another one of those scenes...ughhhhh. Still dunno if i'm any good at that.

Please leave and review, even if it's just to say that you're enjoying the story.


	12. Chapter 12

Weiss pulled up her plain blue jeans, the colour quite washed out and worn. She looked herself over in the mirror once more, making a few adjustments to her blouse so it fit comfortably on her. She wiggled her toes in her shoes, making sure they were still the same size as when she bought them just a few days ago.

Everything seemed fine, so why did she feel so uncomfortable?

Maybe it was what the clothes represented, the reason she was wearing them. She was going to a party.

High school parties weren't something you could read about in books, it wasn't something you could study. There was no way Weiss had any time to go to a party before now so she had absolutely no experience with them. They were so unfamiliar, so alien, she didn't know how to approach them.

If she was telling the truth she didn't want to go at all, but she couldn't do that to Ruby. The moment she saw her face when Nora invited them, Ruby looked so happy, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling with excitement. She would never do anything to take that smile away.

So, mostly against her will, she found herself walking out of Ruby's front door heading to the party.

As they walked through the streets, the sky slowly fading into black, Weiss couldn't help but feel nervous. She tried to keep her usual mask in place, tried to stay stoned faced as the churning feeling in her stomach got worse with each step. She tried hard to bury her emotions deep down inside of her. Though she didn't know why. It was just automatic to her now, hiding her emotions like they were something ugly.

Even though she did all she could to hide it, Ruby still knew. Maybe it was the slight, uncertain twitching of her hands. Maybe it was the fact that her face was slightly tense. Maybe it was the way she walked, without the usual pride and grace.

So when Weiss felt a hand slip in hers she was caught off guard. She turned to see Ruby' warm smile, her grey eyes gentle and caring. She didn't say anything, just the reminder that she would be there, with Weiss, was enough

Instantly Weiss smiled back, equally soft and kind as Ruby's own. She felt the dread quickly drain away and the knot in her stomach untie itself. She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head slightly, suddenly feeling stupid for getting so wound up.

She looked back to Ruby and murmur quietly.

"Thanks." Her voice was quiet as the words left her mouth but seemed loud in the silence of dusk.

Weiss' eyes slowly drifted towards the sky, to the colours slowly melting away over the horizon. Warm orange met blue and dim stars started to emerge from the darkness. She drew in a deep breath, the cold, sharp air sending a shudder through her body. The sound of her heels hitting the pavement echoed in the night.

The sight of the sky brought her back to a few days ago, on that hill. The sound of Ruby's choked sobs, her pained voice. The feeling of her in Weiss' arms as she cried, her body shaking with each forced sentence. Thinking about it made Weiss feel terrible, useless, and weak but she was glad she had seen it.

To have shared such an intimate moment with Ruby, to hear words that no one else has, made her feel amazing. It made her feel special and loved. It made her feel just that bit closer to Ruby, closer than anyone else was.

The feeling of Ruby's hand leaving hers pulled Weiss back to the present. She looked over to Ruby, a slightly concerned look on her face.

"We're here." She said, looking down the street

Weiss turned her head and instantly spotted the house. It's not like it was hard to miss.

In front of the house a few teens stood, chatting. Most had bottles in their hands and took the occasional sip, then returned to their conversation. All the lights in the house were on, bright light flooding out of the windows and into the street. As they got closer, Weiss could hear the music get louder and louder, thumping loudly in her ears as they entered the house. She dragged her eyes across the crowd of people, most standing around in the hallways, yelling over the music at each other.

Ruby lead Weiss straight through the crowds, towards the kitchen. Weiss could instantly smell alcohol on the air, thick and heavy. It reminded her of her father but she instantly shook the thought away. Ruby seemed to notice someone in the crowds and turned to Weiss.

"I'm just going to go say hi to Nora." She flashed a smile at Weiss and she was off, before Weiss could even react.

And that uncomfortable feeling returned to Weiss, suddenly feeling out of place. She felt nervousness root her to the ground and before it could completely grab hold of her she turned to the counter behind her. She scanned the bottles, most of them unrecognisable to Weiss. She picked up a bottle that she was pretty sure was vodka and poured it into the small glass.

She downed it instantly, feeling the warm burn of the alcohol trickle down her throat. She instantly felt lighter, but the constant feeling of dread that tickled at the back of her mind, that made her stomach churn, stayed.

She walked over to the fridge, grabbing a drink from there and made her way into another room, mostly looking for Ruby.

She pushed her way through the crowds looking for Ruby, but couldn't see her. She saw an open space on the couch and eagerly took it, feeling not so out of place sitting down compared to standing up.

She watched people mindlessly walk past her, not paying her any attention to her at all. Slowly she got more comfortable, as the alcohol slowly burned its way through her system. She was fully content to sit there for the whole night, no reason at all to stand up and leave the comfort of the couch.

She listened to the music thrum through the air, the bass reverberating through her. Combining the music with the alcohol she slowly relaxed, sinking in to the leather couch beneath her. She let out a deep breath, feeling tired and worn out for no reason at all.

She felt the couch slant beside her and for a second she hoped that it was Ruby, but when she turned her head she was met with blue eyes and equally blue hair.

"Hey snowflake." He said in a casual voice, giving her a smile that most girls would swoon over.

Weiss cringed at the word. She hated that he was using it. Ruby called her that and he was ruining it.

When Ruby said it, it made Weiss felt amazing. Like she was something delicate, something beautiful, something to be admired, something unique and irreplaceable. A intricate pattern of pure white, floating gracefully down from the sky.

When he said it, she felt small, fragile and weak. Like she was something that needed protecting, that he needed to protect.

She hated it. She hated him.

"Hello." She replied through gritted teeth, her voice barely audible over the loud thumping music. She made a conscious effort not to look at him, not to acknowledge him in any way, so maybe he would just leave.

But of course Weiss wasn't that lucky.

"So, what's such a pretty girl like you doing sat all alone?" He said with a smile that most girls would fall for instantly. Weiss knew it was fake though. She knew that it was the nicest guys, the ones who always had the right words, who were the most rotten.

"Waiting for Ruby." She said, still not looking his way, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Ruby, huh? Well, why don't you ditch Ruby and come somewhere with me." He said as he rested a hand on Weiss' leg, squeezing tightly. Her stomach churned with disgust, hating the feeling of his touch.

It was nothing like Ruby's. Ruby's was, soft, it was loving, gentle and caring. With every subtle movement it set Weiss' skin on fire and when it went away she wished for it to come back.

His was vile. It was forceful and the furthest thing from caring. Under his touch she felt like a piece of meat, an object. His touch was one of ownership.

"No."

Weiss stood, desperately wanting to get away from this situation, from him. As soon as she looked up, she met a pair of grey eyes. Ruby was looking over at her expectantly but the pain, the hurt in her eyes shone bright.

Weiss took a deep breath, her eyes closing for a moment. When she opened them back up, she smile softly at Ruby, which was returned with a sad, hopefully smile.

She turned back to face Neptune, usual glare set in place. She steeled her resolve and began speaking.

"Look, I'm flattered that you like me but I'm going to have to ask you to please leave me alone." She was about to turn around, but he spoke again, making her pause.

"Playing hard to get? That's okay, they always come around."

His sentence made her stop in her tracks. Her glare intensified and anger started to bubble inside of her.

What made him think that he had any power over her? Was he really that arrogant, that big-headed to think that there couldn't be one girl out there that didn't want him?

She turned back to him once more and he instantly smirked. She hated the sight of it, but she didn't want to leave with him having the last laugh. She didn't want to give him that confidence or the satisfaction that there was even a sliver of a possibility that Weiss would fall for him.

"Really? They always come back? Well, I won't be, and let me tell you why. One, you are a despicable human being; arrogant, thinking you're above everyone else. Two, I'm gay and have an amazing girlfriend. So why? _why_ would I want or need you? Three, what the fuck is up with your hair? Bright blue? And those goggles. You look like a six year old."

Weiss watched the smirk on his face morph into confusion then, finishing in a scowl. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt immensely satisfied. She let her frown turn upwards to a smirk as she turned. This time he was too stunned to say anything and Weiss was finally free to leave his presence.

Weiss walked across the room, straight towards Ruby. She wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck loosely. She press her lips to Ruby's, the touch send electricity jolting through her body. She needed this, the feeling of being close to someone, close to Ruby. She savoured the feeling, the taste of her girlfriends lips, pressed gently against her own.

She could hear whispers and gasps all around her but she ignored all of it, focusing on the feeling of Ruby's lips on her own. She didn't care at this point and didn't want to hide it anymore. She was tired of pretending like there was nothing going on between her and Ruby, like she didn't love her.

When she pulled away, Ruby looked shocked, her cheeks a bright shade of pink. She forced her eyes away from Weiss', but her lips curled upwards in a small smile.

"I need a drink." Weiss said, annoyance evident in her voice as she dragged Ruby back towards the kitchen. When she said a drink she meant something stronger than what she had in her want currently.

Weiss quickly fixed herself a drink, then looked over to Ruby who smile, warm and caring, before pulling Weiss towards the back doors of the house. She slid open the glass doors and stepped out into the cold air.

Weiss' eyes were instantly draw to the sky, bright stars dotting a sleet of dark blue. Weiss stared up for a moment, getting mesmerised by the bright moon, the white orb standing out in the sea of tiny lights. She let her gaze fall back to Ruby, who was stand on a small bench that hung from a tree. She walked over, taking a seat next to Ruby, abandoning her drink that she had only taken a sip from by her feet.

The bench swayed slightly as she took a seat, slowly rocking back and forth, but soon slowed to a halt. Weiss dragged her fingers lightly across the wood, rough and brittle against her skin. She rested her hand on the arm rest at her side, eying the intricate pattern. The metal had rust and chipped, now a muddy green with flakes of brown where it had cracked and broken off. She traced the patterned with her eyes, Roses twirled and wrapped around the arm, stems intertwining with each other. Small thorns poked from along the stems, leading up to the blooming flower heads. The flower was shaped to perfection, petals curling around and overlapping each other.

An automatic smile formed on Weiss' lips as she lifted her head, looking back to Ruby. The red head had her eyes on the sky, grey shimmering in the dim light of the night. Weiss watched silently for a moment. The slow rise and fall of the other girls chest, the way her eyes flicker from one side of the sky to the other, how she mindlessly played with the end of her jacket. Weiss admired Ruby's smile, the one that was constantly there, the one that made Weiss' heart race, the one that she loved so much.

Her own lips curled into a frown as a single word danced at the tip of her tongue, eventually spilling out.

"Sorry." Weiss' voice was quiet, a whisper against the background of a silent night. Even though it was quiet, it was like a knife, cutting through the quiet. It was apologetic but still held the usually strength and confidence. Not regretful, not full of self-pity. Just apologetic.

Ruby jumped slightly, started by Weiss' voice. Her head turned towards Weiss, their eyes meeting. Ruby's brow knitted together and her lips pursed, confusion written all over her features.

"For what?"

Weiss' eyes fell from Ruby's face, landing on her feet hovering slightly over the uncut grass.

"For outing you to the whole school." Weiss said weakly. Her eyes raised slightly, peering up at Ruby to gauge her reaction.

Ruby just let out a small laugh, quiet and joyful, a sound that was like music to Weiss' ears. She raised her eyes back to the sky, her legs swinging slightly.

"I don't mind." She said with a smile, content and honest.

"Besides..." She continued, bumping her shoulder against Weiss' "Now we get to be girlfriends at school. That means more hand holding and more hugs and more kisses. It's gunna be awesome!" Ruby said excitedly.

Weiss shook her head at Ruby's childishness.

"Okay you dork, calm down." Weiss said, holding back her own laughter.

Ruby looked at her suddenly, a pout on her lips.

"There is going to be more kisses, right?" She said with mock seriousness.

"Yes, you dolt."

Weiss leaned across, pressing her lips against Ruby's as if to prove she wasn't lying. The kiss was chase, gentle and loving. When she pulled away she was met with Ruby's smile and her own smile instantly formed. Weiss rested her forehead against Ruby's for a moment, her smile holding. After that second ticked by she sighed.

"Can we leave now?" Weiss said wearily as her head fell to rest on Ruby's shoulder, her face buried in the crook of the other girls neck.

Ruby just laughed at how blunt Weiss was, clearly at the end of her very short fuse. She brought her arms up around the other girls shoulders, wrapped them around her, bringing her just that bit closer.

"Yeah...I guess."

"I know you really wanted to come tonight, but if I'm being honest I really didn't. It's just not my thing, I don't fit in here." Weiss said, sadness unknowingly seeping into her voice.

"It's fine." Ruby spoke in a cheerier tone. "I just wanted to spend time with you anyway." Ruby finished softly.

Weiss could hear the smile in the red head words and her heart buzzed with warmth when she heard them. Weiss lifted her head, meting those bright, grey eyes once more.

"You know I love you, right?" Weiss said with a playful smile, though her voice was laced with affection and care.

"Why wouldn't you, I'm pretty awesome." Ruby said, matching Weiss' smile.

"You are awesome." Weiss said back, laughter bubbling slightly. Ruby stood up, holding out a hand to help Weiss up. When Weiss took it, she was pulled upwards. Ruby's hands stayed in hers, their fingers locking together, walking so close that their shoulder almost touched as they made their way around the side of the house.

"You know I love you too, right?" Ruby said, leaning slightly towards Weiss as they walked.

"Of course." Weiss said, a smile spread across her lips.

They emerged onto the street, bright streetlights hanging above them. They instantly turned and walked towards Ruby's hands. She cool night air swept over them, sharp and chilling. Weiss flexed her hand in Ruby's, the warmth from the other girls hand seeping into hers and creeping slowly up her arm. She let out a breath, watching the small puff of white appear then slowly fading into nothing. Weiss bit down gently on her bottom lip, still tingling with the feeling of Ruby's pressed again it.

The moment reminded her of their walks home, her gentle smile growing slightly, threatening to be a grin.

"So, when we get back, you wanna watch a movie? It's not really that late." Ruby said, looking up as if that would help her figure out the time.

"I think." She continued, looking at Weiss with a grin.

"That sounds nice, but none of your Disney rubbish. I get to pick this time."

"Oh, come on. I know you loved Frozen. I could see you grinning like an idiot towards the end." Ruby said, slightly offended that Weiss had referred to her all time favourite film as 'rubbish'.

"Okay, okay. I'll admit that the relationship between Elsa and Anna was very sweet." Weiss said with her chin raised, although a slight blush dusted her checks, embarrassed at admitting that she did actually enjoy it.

"I knew you loved it." Ruby said, her voice slightly teasing.

"Anyway, I'm choosing what we watch this time." Weiss said, quick to change the subject.

"Okay, but none of your 'Classics'." Ruby said, doing a terrible impression of Weiss, her chin out and one arm folded across her chest on the word classics.

Weiss' eyes widened slightly, her lips parting slightly in offence. She gently swatted at Ruby's arm with her free hand.

"I don't sound like that." She said sternly, her foot stomping to the ground.

"Okay, whatever you say." Ruby said with a laugh.

Weiss turned her head away with a slight 'hmpf'.

"Fine, no classics." Weiss said begrudgingly.

Ruby leaned over, kissing Weiss softly on her forehead, the touch setting the heiress' skin on fire. As she was pulling away she mumbled, soft and loving.

"Thanks snowflake."

Weiss' lips curled up in a genuine smile, her cheeks coloured a light shade of pink.

* * *

Weiss prepared herself for the worst as she walked into school the next day, her hand firmly clutching Ruby's. She braced herself for stares, long, judgemental ones that bored into her like a drill. She expected hush whispers every time she turned her back, mostly hurtful words and cruel laughter.

Her mind had manifested fears as she slept the night before. Curled up next to Ruby, her mind has buzzed with painful thoughts.

But when she had walked through the doors, it wasn't anything like she had expect.

A few heads had turned but promptly gone back to their own business. Murmurs carried on like nothing had happened at all.

Weiss turned to Ruby, confused but she only got a smile in return. They made their way to their lockers, got their stuff for the day and went to their classes. Just like any other day. Just as interesting, just as plain.

The only thing that was different was that a few people came up to them throughout the day, congratulating them on becoming a couple, confirming what Weiss though, that people actually knew. They said things like "You two make a great couple." or "I knew you two would get together eventually." then walked away with a smile.

Weiss was dumb-struck, while Ruby just smiled away. She felt childish for worrying so much, for building up this imaginary idea of how people would react in her head. Although every time someone said something to them, or smiled at them Weiss was left feeling with a tingling sense of happiness. Happy that she didn't have to hide her relationship with Ruby any more, happy that all the worrying was for nothing.

The day was the same as any other, although for Weiss it was so much better, so much brighter. Her hands stayed locked with Ruby's pretty much throughout the day. When they separated to go to different classes they kissed goodbye. And as Ruby had said she received a lot more hugs, though Weiss didn't mind.

So as Weiss walked towards her locker, her steps a lot more care free than they had been that morning, she could help the smile on her face. Once she got to her locker, she place all the books she didn't need inside and waited for Ruby to get there.

When she saw Ruby walking down the hallway towards her, Weiss' smile only grew.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby said, putting away her own text books into the locker, the heavy books landing with a heavy thump.

"Hello." Weiss said, her voice more affectionate than it usually would be, her smile genuine.

Once she had finished she turned back to Weiss, holding her hand out for the other girl to take. Weiss did so instantly, their fingers locking together automatically, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The walk home that day was just a special as any other, the alone time between her and Ruby just as important as ever. Weiss walked down the street, the cool air prickling against her skin, but the warmth from Ruby's hand was more than enough. She sound of cars speeding by never made it to Weiss' ears, too distracted by the warmth, happiness and joy that currently consumed her.

Her mind flashed through her time with Ruby. The first time they had met when Ruby approached her in the library, that honest, gentle smile on her face. All the time they had spent together after that, mostly studying. The night Ruby confessed, Which ended with Weiss crying in her arms, telling her that she loved her back. All the time Ruby had say 'I love you' since them. Every time she had smile that amazing smile.

Her time with Ruby meant everything to Weiss, even just the small moment together, like right now. Seconds that with anyone else would be so trivial, so mundane, meant everything. Each moment precious, each fleeting tick of the clock treasured. Moments that Weiss wouldn't trade for the world.

Weiss loved Ruby with every fiber of her being. She loved Ruby in a way that she never thought she would be able to. So unconditionally and fully that she couldn't put it into the words, something that she couldn't explain, that just was.

Ruby Rose had quickly become the most important thing in her life.

* * *

**A/n: **I promised two chapters so here is the second.

I really happy with this chapter, as i've been planning it since like chapter 8, which may not seem long ago but it was like 3 months ago. Ever since Neptune and Weiss had the initial encounter in the hallway, this was what I was planning. So I'm happy that i've finally been able to write it.

I'm also really happy with the bit just before the end, with Ruby and Weiss just talking (about the movie). I feel like this fic lacks that a lot of the time. Just casual interaction between our favourite dorks. It's really hard to come up with though as you can't really fill a full chapter with it and you can't base a chapter around it so it just appears at random moments really.

One more thing before I finish this, Neptune's character. I'm not hating on him (Ok well I hate him but hopefully I haven't let that show too much in this chapter) and I know this isn't a accurate representation of his canon character. Basically I need someone to play a certain part, someone to riley Weiss up so she would basically out herself, partly due to rage mixed with her being slightly drunk but mostly just because she didn't care. So yeah. No hate intended.

Please leave a review, even if it's just to say you've enjoyed this chapter. Reviews give me a major motivation boost and just generally put a smile on my face.

Thanks to KillerKlown12 for betaing as always, go check 'em out they're awesome.


	13. Chapter 13

Ruby open the door to her house, Weiss following just behind her. As soon as she took her first step into the house, she paused.

Yang was stood in front of them, looking sort of nervous and fidgety. Yang never looked nervous and fidgety. That was Ruby's thing. Yang's thing was to calm, cool and get pretty much everyone she met to love her almost instantly.

"Hey Rubes." She greeted shyly.

"Hey." Ruby replied curiously.

Yang leaned to the side slightly looking over Ruby's shoulder.

"Hey Weiss, can we talk for a minute?"

Ruby turned to Weiss, worry and concern showing plainly on her face. Weiss just returned the look with a smile that somehow said _it's okay. _Yang wanting to talk to Weiss was definitely not a good sign. At least not in Ruby's book. Maybe the world was ending or something like that?

"Of course, Yang." She said cooly, trying not to show how nervous she was for whatever Yang had to say.

After that Yang just did a sort of half nod then turn and walked into the kitchen. Weiss turned to Ruby and saw the same fear in her eyes that she had seen just a moment ago. She felt the need to somehow reassure Ruby that she was okay, that it would be okay even though she had no idea if it truly would be.

She leaned in, kissing Ruby softly on the lips, pulling away after just a moment and looking into her eyes. She brought her hand up to Ruby's cheek and stoked against the smooth skin in what she hoped was a calming manner.

"It'll be fine. You're worrying way to much, you dolt."

Ruby just nodded her hand in Weiss' hand, nestling further into the touch.

"Go upstairs and I'll be up in a couple minutes." Weiss whispered.

"I'll miss you." Ruby said in a way that was so childish it almost sounded true.

"I'll miss you too." Weiss replied with a small smirk.

When Ruby made her way up the stairs Weiss watched until she got all the way to the top, then turned and made her way into the kitchen where Yang was waiting.

Weiss met Yang's eyes, her usual cold and icy glare present and her expression guarded, unlike when she was with Ruby. It was at that moment that Yang realised how different she was when Ruby wasn't around, because she had only seen the two together she had pretty much never see Weiss' cold side. It was almost unsettling how drastically Weiss changed in just those few seconds.

The two stayed silent for a moment, the air awkward and thick, as it had been ever since the day Ruby had stormed out. There had been some sort of unspoken agreement since that day. That the two didn't spend more than a minute in the same room, that they shouldn't make eye contact and that they definitely shouldn't- under no circumstances- talk to each other. It had been nearly a week and finally Yang decided to just ruin it all. Weiss quite enjoyed not having to deal with the blonde. Well, thats what she would tell Ruby every time she brought it up anyway.

Yang took a deep breath after a few still moments.

"So I guess Ruby told you what I said a couple days ago?" Yang said meekly.

Weiss did nothing for another few moments before nodding gently.

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair, a trait which she a Ruby seemed to share. The though made Weiss smile inwardly but she was careful not to show it.

"Weiss, first off, I want you too know that I would never kick you out and that you're always welcome here. I know it may not feel that way as I haven't been the nicest to you...but you have to know that it's just because I love Ruby and don't want her getting hurt."

Yang took another breath and carried on where she left off, her voice growing quieter, averting her eyes from the other girl.

"I'm just really protective but I'm not blind. I can see how happy you make her so I guess I just wanted to say that I hope we can sorta be friends even after I've treated you like shit."

"I really am sorry. And I realised I shouldn't have said anything about you and your dad when I don't really know you or him. " She said, meeting Weiss' eyes again.

Only Weiss eyes softened slightly, her mouth still forming a thin line. She said nothing for a second, before her gaze dropped to the floor.

"I'm sure we can manage being friends and I accept you're apology. In regards to my farther...I think you're right."

"Awesome." Yang breathed out as she visibly relaxed, smiling at Weiss. Before a moment passed Yang spoke again. "Apart from the part about you're dad, that sucks but if you really want to talk to anyone about that it probably should be Ruby."

Weiss was nervous about talking to Ruby, about truly opening up and talking about something she had never talk about before. But she also so desperately wanted to. She knew Ruby would know exactly what to say and she would say it with a smile. That smile that made Weiss feel like there was nothing wrong with the world.

A few moments, Weiss distracted by her thoughts, and the silence sat uncomfortably between the two girls.

"By the way, what are you getting Ruby for her birthday?" Yang's voice pulled Weiss from her thoughts, changing the topic eagerly.

Weiss sighed, Yang's words pulling from her own mind.

"I have no idea." Weiss said dryly.

"Well I'm sure she'll love it now matter what it is, as long as it's from the heart." Yang said, tapping her heart with her index finger, a grin on her lips.

Weiss smiled slightly, just because of the fact it was completely true. Thought despite that he still wanted to get Ruby something special. She wanted

"What are you getting her?" Weiss asked.

"Just some clothes, really and some other stuff. I don't have to get her anything special 'cause she's not my girlfriend." Yang said, smirking wickedly.

Weiss just glared back.

Yang just laughed before continuing.

"So, yeah. I got her a t-shirt with the logo of her favourite band on-"

"Sleeping With Sirens." Weiss said.

Yang smiled before continuing.

"Yeah. She's always got those headphones so I thought it'd be a good gift. I got her some other clothes too but thats really the main one."

Yang's words gave Weiss an idea. One that excited her but also scared her to no end.

"Thanks, Yang."

"Anytime, Ice Queen." Yang said, again smirking.

Weiss just glare, again, for a moment before shaking her head and leaving the room and making her way upstairs. When she got to Ruby's room, the red head looked over the top of her laptop with concerned eyes. Weiss just gave a small smile which Ruby instantly returned tenfold.

"I'm going to study, if you don't mind." Weiss said, although sounding slightly distant.

"Not at all."

Weiss took a seat at Ruby's desk, pulling her text book from her bag and placing it on the desk, it hitting the wood with a dull thump. She paused for a moment, staring down at the large book on top of the desk. Then she pulled out her notebook, placing it down next to her text book, it not making the same satisfying thump causing Weiss to frown slightly. She pulled out her pen and focused her eyes on the lines of text in front of her.

No matter how many times she read over the first line of her book, it seemed to make no sense to Weiss. It was like the book was in a foreign language or she had forgotten how to read. She tapped her pen gently on the page, the sound bouncing around the quiet room. She stared intently at the page but at some point she had stopped trying to read it. She just stared blankly at the letters in front of her that made no sense anymore.

Her eyes drifted from the text book to the blank page of her notebook, then too the digital clock on Ruby's desk. Four, fifteen. Then back to the notebook, to the text book. Then to the clock. Four, nineteen. Her eyes drifted back to the text book, read the first line which still made no sense, then back to the notebook. Back to the clock. Four, twenty-one.

She let out a heavy sigh.

She felt arms sling over her shoulders, and surprised herself when she didn't flinch away. She felt Ruby's chin rest gently on the top of her head.

"You okay Snowflake?"

_No._

"What do you mean." Weiss asked automatically, then instantly scolded herself for being defensive.

"Well...you haven't written anything even though you said you were going to study and that's just...weird. I mean, in a good way obviously, you look really cute when you study, all focused and everything."

Weiss almost wanted to laugh at how the awkward, ramble-y sentence made her feel so at ease.

"So, whats wrong? Wanna talk about it?" Ruby continued, her voice so sickeningly sweet that there was no way Weiss could say no. Not that she wanted to. It would just be easier to say no and Weiss had made a habit of taking the easy way out, especially went it came to emotions or Ruby. And this time it involved both.

"Yes. I want to talk about it." Weiss said after mustering up the courage.

She let out a shaky breath as she stood up from the chair and turned to face Ruby. The girl just gave her a gentle smile before taking her hand and leading her towards the bed. Ruby sat down, her legs crossed beneath her, then tapped the spot next to her.

Weiss took a seat and for a moment just stared at the girl in front of her, amazed at how casual Ruby was at that moment but how her eyes still held concern and warmth. Amazed at how, just from looking into those soft, grey eyes, she felt safe and loved.

After a second Ruby took both of Weiss' hands in hers without a word, running her thumb gently over the back of Weiss' hands in a comforting manner. She stayed completely silent, waiting for when Weiss was ready to speak, a small smile on the lips the whole time. A smile emerged on Weiss' lips and she left it there for a long moment before it sunk back into a frown.

Weiss nervously chewed at her bottom lips, scouring her mind for the right words, for the right sentence. Here eyes were glued to the bed sheets, as if the answer would be written there for her. Eventually she let out a sigh, lifting her eyes to meet Ruby's and on seeing that soft, caring smile still on Ruby's lips, her heart melted.

"I think I need to go and speak to my Father."

When Ruby's eyes widen slightly in panic, fear and pain written plainly across her face.

"I really think i'd be for the best Ruby. Don't worry..." Weiss lifted her hand to Ruby's cheek, warmth bubbling up inside her when the girl automatically leaned into the touch and her eyes fluttered closed "...I won't let him keep us apart."

Weiss continued, forcing herself to keep talking.

"Me and my father...we have a lot of issues. I didn't run away just because of you, although you are the main reason. I guess it was just the straw that broke the camels back." Weiss laughed dryly, mostly to try and relieve some of the tension that held thick in the air. She looked up and met Ruby's eyes, the fear and panic gone, but the pain and warmth still present. Although it wasn't her own pain she was feeling. She was feeling Weiss' pain, the pain that she had gathered and kept and stored for years. They were now sharing it.

And under Ruby's gaze, so full of love and caring, Weiss felt tears well up in her eyes. She found that she wasn't forcing herself to continue. That the words fell freely. She realised that this pain that she carried around everyday had gotten too much for her, too heavy. That it weighed down on her shoulders everyday and it had just gotten to be too much.

"He was way too controlling." Weiss said, her voice weak, breaking under the emotion she felt.

"He chose everything for me and eventually it just...It stopped feeling like my life." A tear slipped down Weiss' cheek. She felt Ruby's hand graze her cheek, gently wiping the tear away. She let her eyes slide shut and enjoyed the feeling of the gesture.

"It was frustrating because I felt like I was living my life for him, or the company, or anyone really...just not myself." Weiss forced the words around the lump in her throat, grasping Ruby's hand, mindlessly playing with the other girls fingers.

"He chose my friends, and as you can probably guess no one was good enough for him. So I ended up lonely. Which was why I was so nervous when he found out about you. I tired to hide it from him, because I knew what he would do when found out. And this time it meant so much more...because it was you." Weiss looked up from Ruby's hand, a shy, sincere smile on her lips.

Ruby returned her smile, just as soft and sweet, and Weiss felt the urge to kiss her girlfriend. Her eyes drifted to the other girls lips and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. Before she knew it she had leaned over, pressing a chaste, barely there kiss to Ruby's lips. Weiss let her eyes fall closed and took in a deep breath, savouring the moment.

When she pulled away her eyes instantly fell to the bed as she continued speaking.

"He forced me into all these extracurricular activity like fencing or taking piano lessons even though I had no interest in them at all. It was all just for the company, so i'd look better and therefor he, would look better."

Weiss voice dropped, becoming even quieter than it was before. She swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing and met Ruby's eyes, doing everything she could to keep a level voice when her next few words came.

"He made me go on these stupid...dates...with guys that I hardly knew." Weiss winced inwardly when the pain emerged on Ruby's face. Though Ruby didn't say anything, Weiss saw the pain in her girlfriends eyes. Ruby just nodded slightly, telling Weiss to continue.

Weiss continued but her voice wavered, breaking and tearing and snapping as she when on. Maybe it was just the fact that Ruby was looking at her with such hurting, sympathetic eyes that it made her want to cry.

"He always said he wanted me to marry some rich boy. Said "It'd be good for the company." Weiss said as tears started to well up behind her eyes. They burn liked acid, begging to be set free.

"He never cared about me. Just what I mean't to the stupid fucking company." Weiss continued bitterly. Tears leaked from her eyes and rolled gracefully down her cheeks. She so desperately wanted to wipe them away but she couldn't will herself to move her arms. She hated the trails that her tears left behind, thinking they made her look weak, look vulnerable. She hated that. She hated that her walls had come down and her emotions were flooding freely.

But when she felt a hand on her cheek, her eyes darted back upwards. Her eyes met Ruby's, grey on blue, and she remembered that she could be vulnerable, that she could look weak right now. Because she was with Ruby. The other girls stare wasn't pitying, it wasn't one of annoyance or a mocking one. It was just warm, caring. Loving. As if Ruby could be anything else.

Weiss smiled back at Ruby, though it was through the hurt and the tears. But Ruby didn't return her smile. She suddenly looked serious. Serious but still gentle. Still loving. More serious than Weiss had even seen her. For a moment she kept silent, her serious expression frozen in place.

"You know I care about you. Right?" Ruby said, her voice matching her expression, though she sounded as if she was almost close to tears herself. Ruby asked Weiss questions like this on a daily basis, but this time it was real. She was really asking Weiss.

"Yes." Weiss answered. And she did. There was no doubt in her mind that Ruby cared for her. Loved her. Accepted her. Wanted her. She had never felt more certain about anything.

"Good. Because it's true. So much Weiss. I care about you so much. I love you." Ruby said as she wiped Weiss tears away. Her word were filled with so much honestly and love, so sincere and heartfelt. Her voice cracked and faltered slightly under the weight of her emotions but she still sounded so sure, so happy about those emotions.

Tears started to stream down Ruby cheeks, overwhelm by the mix of emotions she felt at that moment. Happiness and joy, because it was true. She cared about Weiss so much and just being able to care for the other girl openly made her the luckiest person alive. Warmth and loved, because of how Weiss was looking at her in that moment, like she fully believed her words and returned her feelings. Pain and hurt because of what Weiss had just told her, because she knew that Weiss had been carrying around this weight for years and it had taken its toll. Anger and annoyance at the man who had cause this pain, at who had hurt her when he was supposed to love her like no one else could.

"Why are you crying? You dolt." Weiss laughed, lifting her own hands to Ruby's face and carefully thumbing away the other girls tears.

Ruby just laughed quietly in reply, shaking her head slightly in Weiss' hands. When Ruby's eyes met Weiss' again her laughter had stopped and her lips curled slightly in a sweet smile.

Weiss realised that she had been inching closer to Ruby since she first sat down. She could feel her heart beating loud in her chest and the tips of her fingers buzz. Weiss' thumb gently skittered across the skin of Ruby's cheek. She leaned in and press her lips to Ruby's, and the moment she did she felt like she had died and gone to heaven. The other girls lips tasted so sweet, felt so soft pressed against her own. Weiss moved slightly and let out a almost-silent moan when her lips grazed lightly against Ruby's. Weiss felt her bones turn to mush and let her hands fall from Ruby's cheeks, landing on the other girls shoulders. She pulled gently on Ruby's neck, deepening the kiss, wishing she could be just an inch closer. She felt electricity jolt up and down her spine and felt butterflies flutter violently in her stomach. When she pulled back she let her lips linger for as long as she possibly could, nippingly lightly at Ruby's bottom lip as she did. She let her eyes stay closed as she let out a shaky breath, feeling as if all the air left her lungs all at once.

When she looked back up at Ruby, her girlfriend looked stunned, her cheeks softly tinted with pink. Weiss smirked inwardly.

She replayed the kiss over and over in her head, as many times as she possibly could in this silence they were consumed by. It hadn't been as heated as some of their kissed but it wasn't exactly innocent. It was passionate. Loving. It was...amazing. And Weiss wondered how every kiss with Ruby could feel so good. So completely unexpectedly amazing, yet not one was the same. She wondered if that feeling would ever fade. She hoped it wouldn't and doubted that it ever would.

When Ruby shook the shocked look off her face and her eyes grew concerned again, Weiss remembered what they were talking about just a moment ago. Weiss' eyes instantly found the bed covers, averting her eyes from the other girls.

"So...what should I do?" Weiss breathed out, barely a whisper but the confusion, urgency and pleading still came through clear as day. She had absolutely no idea what to do and everything she had been taught growing up told her to just ignore it. Ignore the slight hole in her heart and eventually it would go away. Or having a small hole in her chest would just become normal. Maybe eventually she wouldn't even know it was there. But she knew she couldn't do that. Not anymore. So she was begging Ruby to tell her the right answer.

Ruby didn't even think about it. Like the answer was always there, or maybe she was just that good at this sort of thing. Emotions, family. Those words seemed like a different language to Weiss, foreign. But for Ruby those are things that she had grew up around.

"You should go talk to him." Ruby said as if it was obvious, her voice certain. She didn't even backdown when she saw Weiss wince painfully, clearly not the answer she was hoping for. Clearly hoping that Ruby would just let it slide, let Weiss just forget about it and move on.

"Do I have to?" Weiss asked, scared of going back and seeing her Father. Scared of going back to his hateful eyes and disgusted looks. To the yelling and the screaming. To the arguments and frustration. She hated the thought of it all.

"Yes. Weiss, he's your dad. You need to talk with him. But you also need to make sure that he doesn't take control of life again. Move out if you need to. I'm sure he'd be able to buy you a nice apartment. If that's what it takes to make it feel like you're in control then do it." Ruby's voice was serious but it had softened. Like she knew that this would be hard for Weiss to hear, to hear that she had to fix this with her Father. Like she knew Weiss so well that she knew that the girl would wanted to just push this aside and carry on with her life.

Weiss already liked the sound of having her own apartment. Of living independently. Of actually feeling for once like her life belonged to her. But she didn't really want to leave Ruby's house. She knew she had to but he also knew that she'd miss being able to sleep next to Ruby every night. She'd miss waking up surrounded by the scent of roses. She'd miss walking home from school with Ruby, in the silence. She'd even miss Yang. Only a little though.

"But I don't know if i'd be able to live on my own." Weiss admitted, ashamed at the realisation that she probably wouldn't be able to take care of herself. That she wouldn't know how to cook for herself, how to clean the apartment. She hated admitting that she had been sheltered and taken care of for all her life. But when she thought about it that'd be exactly what she needed. She needed to be completely in control, to do things for herself for once. She needed that small feeling of insecurity, of fear that she felt when thinking about living on her own. She needed that because it made her feel in control. Like her actions actually had effect on her life.

"I'd be there. I'll help you with stuff like food and laundry. You wouldn't be on your own." Ruby said, smiling softly down at Weiss. A smile that Weiss instantly returned. Glad that Ruby would still be there for her, that she wouldn't be completely alone. That help would be there if she just reached out for it.

"You're going to come with me right? To talk to him?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer. Already knowing that Ruby would want to come with her but just needed to hear that words for herself. To be comforted by them.

"Of course." Ruby said with a smile.

"I love you, Ruby Rose." Weiss whispered back, a blissful smile on her face.

* * *

**A/n: **Sorry if there was a lot of mistakes in this one. My beta isn't responding to my messages. I've done my best but sometimes it just takes a second set of eyes to spot the mistakes.


	14. Chapter 14

Weiss sat in the chair of her desk, tapping her pen against the wooden impatiently. She started down at the test in front of her, the one that she didn't study for because Ruby insisted that studying was boring and that Weiss didn't need to. While she agreed that she didn't really need to, she still like to get that extra bit of studying in, just in case. If she had studied she could've avoided this situation, spending upwards of ten minutes staring at a single question without writing a thing. The fact that she would probably lose a mark on this question didn't bother her, not much anyway. The main thing that bothered her was the fact that she couldn't answer. That at this moment she was physically incapable of answers this one single question.

So she sat and stared. Scouring her mind for any information that could possibly be of use. She had planned to do this until time was up as she had finished the rest of her test already and had returned to this question after finishing. A quick glance at the clock told her that she had at least fifteen minutes left to answer this question. And thats exactly what she planned on doing.

Well that is until a scrunched up ball of paper landed in front of her.

Instantly she sighed silently. She knew who threw this. She knew that what was written on it would be something infuriatingly cute and amazingly annoying all at the same time. She knew because of the bright red paper that it was written on. The one that had roses in the corners. She knew because of the slight, almost silent giggle she heard as it landed on her desk. She knew because Ruby was sat one desk to the right of her.

For a long while she just stared at the paper, hoping that if she stared hard enough and with enough hatred and annoyance, that it would just burst into flames. But she knew that that wasn't possible. That she would eventually have to unfold the paper and read what was on it. She knew she could just back to her test and ignore the message but that would probably just result in more scraps of red papers flying over to her desk top. And she didn't really like the idea of ignoring Ruby, even if it was during a test. Grades mattered to Weiss, but Ruby always came first.

So after glancing up at the teacher to make sure that he was still staring down at his book, Weiss reached over and picked up the ball of paper. She slowly and begrudgingly unfolded it. She lay the paper flat of her desk, above her test. On the piece of paper was a singled word.

_Hey._

Weiss stared down at the word for a moment. Re-read it just to make sure. Then sighed and let her head drop to her desk. She wanted to be mad. But she just wasn't. She couldn't be, not at Ruby. Not when she was so damn cute all the damn time. To add to Weiss' pain was a small doodle next to the word. Just a scribbled drawing of a smily face, but it was so Ruby that it made Weiss' heart melt. She lifted her head and dared a glance at the desk next to her and sure enough Ruby was glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, smiling all cutesy 'n' shit. And Weiss knew she had to write something back, otherwise that look would be gone and that wasn't something that Weiss wanted, even if she would never admit it.

So she thought for a few moments about what she would write. It needed to be something kind but still firm. Something that still invited conversation, while saying that she needed to focus on her test. Something that kept Ruby happy, while letting Weiss return to her test. After a long while she wrote a single sentence in reply.

_Is there something you need Ruby? Because if not I need to finish my test._

That seemed good enough to Weiss. It told Ruby that she needed to get back to her test, while making sure she knows that she comes first. Looking to the front of the room to make sure she wouldn't get caught, Weiss placed the piece of paper on Ruby's desk and quickly returned back to her own. With that sorted she returned to staring back down at her papers.

She scraped at the corners of her mind trying to find an answer to this question. To this one damn question. It didn't even have to be right anymore, just an answer. Anything really. But her mind was blank, void of anything related to maths.

But she was determined to get something down on the page in the next twelve minutes. She was Weiss Schnee. If someone asked her what she got for this particular question she couldn't say that she didn't put anything. She couldn't say that she didn't know the answer. That would go against nature. It would just be wrong. The universe would probably end up imploding or something along those lines.

Weiss let out another sight. She was spending way to much time with Ruby. Even her thoughts were staring to sound like her.

As if on cue a ball of paper landed in front of her. This time she didn't even hope that the ball would somehow magically disappear. She didn't want to get her hopes crushed like last time. So she reached over and unfolded the paper. She scanned the words over quickly.

_You haven't finished yet? _

This caused Weiss to smile. Ruby probably thought that something was troubling Weiss. That something was wrong and that was the reason she couldn't focus properly on her test. Weiss could tell that Ruby was worried just by the way her words were a little neater, the lines a little more stressed than in the last message.

Weiss glanced over at her girlfriend, just to confirm her suspicion. Ruby was looking over her at Weiss, not so discreetly, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and hey eyes showing mild concern. Weiss just smiled softly before returning to the piece of paper in front of her.

_I'm fine Ruby. Just can't find the answer to this one question._

Weiss repeated the process from the first time, glancing up to the front of the room then passing the note along to Ruby. She then returned to the task of hopelessly searching her mind of the answer to this particular question. She carried on staring down at the blank paper in front of her for about twenty seconds before the paper came flying back.

_Want me to tell you the answer? _

Weiss re-read the words in front of her just to make sure that she read them correctly the first time. Because she was almost certain that Ruby had just ask Weiss if she wanted to..._cheat._ She looked over at Ruby, who was looking at Weiss out of the corner of her eye with a small amount of amusement on her features, then back to the paper to re-read the sentence one more time.

Weiss Schnee. Does not. Cheat. Surely Ruby knew this.

Weiss was actually offended that Ruby would even ask. That Ruby might think there was even a slight possibility of Weiss saying yes to Ruby's little cheating scheme.

_Ruby Rose! Surely you aren't asking me to cheat? And if you are. No. _

Weiss quickly passed the paper back over to Ruby before returning to staring daggers at the paper in front of her. All she wanted was to answer this one damn question but at the moment it was completely impossible. She only had another five minutes to write something down. Something, anything, as long as it made sense would do. She just wanted to finish this question and get on with her god-damn life. But with every growing moment she seemed further and further away from get an answer of any sort.

Then a ball of paper landed in front of her desk.

_Its not like you'll get thrown in jail of anything Weiss. Sheesh. _

Weiss just shook her head at Ruby's childishness before quickly writing her reply.

_Thats not the point Ruby. Weiss Schnee doesn't cheat. _

Weiss threw the ball back over to her girlfriend. She looked back up at the clock. She had two minutes left to answer this stupid question. But then she looked over at Ruby, just to make sure the girl was finished with her note passing. And she truly only mean't for it to be a glance, just a quickly look.

But then Ruby was holding the note, just staring at it. Weiss could see her eyes moving over the last sentence, re-reading it, a smile tugging at her lips. A small part of Weiss was confused but mostly she just enjoyed seeing Ruby happy.

"Okay class. Your times up, bring your papers to the front." Then Ruby was standing up, the note shoved into her pocket as she looked down at Weiss expectantly. Weiss turned her gaze down to the blank piece of paper in front of her before sighing and getting out of her seat. Weiss followed Ruby to the front of the room, laid the paper down on the desk and left the room.

When Weiss left the room Ruby was waiting for her a small, knowing smile on her face as if she knew what she was in for.

"Ruby Rose." Weiss said pointing her index finger towards the other girl.

Ruby's reply was to just laugh and start pulling Weiss along towards there lockers. Behind her Weiss carried on her rant.

"What do you think you're doing? What if we got caught? Also I didn't get to finish that last question and the responsibility for that falls on you missy."

"Weiss! Calm down. It's one mark, on a test that doesn't even count to your final grade." Ruby said, turning to her locker. Ruby opened her locker, swapping out her books. Although Weiss didn't open up her locker.

"It doesn't even matter." Ruby continued as she slammed her locker, turning to face Weiss, who was still just staring towards Ruby.

"It matters to me." Weiss mumbled lowly, which Ruby didn't hear. She then turned to her locker and ripped the door open. She hastily swapped out her books, muttering harshly under her breath before slamming the door shut again.

"Now if you don't mind, i'm going to go to class." Weiss said coldly before turning away from Ruby, stomping her way to class.

For a moment Ruby was confused but then she remembered, before they were a couple, whenever Weiss was anger she would stomp off just like that. Ruby realised that this was probably one of those times. Ruby watched as Weiss walked away. She gave a sigh, hunching her shoulder together miserably before turning to make her way to her own class.

She and Weiss hadn't had a fight since they had gotten together and a small, hopeful part of Ruby thought they might never have another one of their fights. Obviously that was just her being childish. They were usually small and didn't last very long. Usually starting with Ruby doing something dumb and Weiss getting mad. Ending with Ruby apologising and pouting, Weiss rolling her eyes then forgiving her.

Somehow Ruby didn't think that she'd get off that easily this time. This time she felt like she'd struck a nerve and that Weiss' anger ran deeper that just temporary frustration and annoyance. Maybe that now Weiss was being more open with her she wouldn't just let things slip like that, maybe now she expected more from Ruby that just an apology and a pout. Maybe she'd forgive Ruby and talk about, maybe it would bring them closer.

Ruby turned just as she was about to round a corner, seeing Weiss down the hallway stood looking at her. Weiss' expression wasn't so much angry anymore, just sad. Ruby smiled shyly, hopefully and gave a small wave.

Weiss didn't wave back. For a moment she hesitated, her bottom lip gently tucked underneath her teeth. She gave a small, gentle smile. Then turned to walk to her class.

* * *

The rest of the day Ruby could barely focus on her classes. All she could think about was what she was going to do when she saw Weiss at the end of the day. So instead of focusing on her teacher like she should have been, Ruby spend the day staring off into space, imagining the possible situations that could unfold later. There were a few possibilities that came to mind. One was that Weiss had forgotten about it by now. Another was that she was even angrier. And the last was that she was just sort angry but not fully angry.

She had no idea which one was the most likely. But she'd find out soon as she just turned to corner to where her locker was and where Weiss was most likely waiting.

When Ruby approached, Weiss was stuffing her books into her locker and didn't notice her. Ruby stayed silent and soon Weiss had finished with her books. She then slammed the locker close and let out a frustrated sigh. She then turned to the side, flinching slightly in shock when she came face to face with Ruby.

"Oh. Hello Ruby." Weiss' voice was lukewarm at best. She didn't give Ruby that small, genuine smile that just slightly tugged at her lips. She was still sorta angry.

Ruby stood and stared at Weiss for a moment, hoping that small curve of her lips would appeared and set her fears at ease. But it didn't. Weiss just stared back, her expression impatient.

"Don't just stand there, you dolt." Weiss said after a moment, snapping Ruby out of her trance.

Ruby flinched away from Weiss' words and for a moment looked absolutely heartbroken, before turning to her locker to put away her stuff.

As soon as she turned away Weiss' expression turned from one of subtle anger to mild sadness. She didn't like hurting Ruby, in anyway but she still had Ruby's words clawing at the back of her mind. The fear that Ruby didn't really know her at all currently ate away at her, that Ruby never actually listened to her or paid attention. Otherwise she would have never said something like that. Surely Ruby knew that her grades and constantly doing her best is something that is important to Weiss.

And even though Weiss knew that the only reason she valued her grades so highly is because her father did. If she came home with anything less than an A he would fly into a fit of rage. But even still, graded mattered to Weiss. It had been drilled into her ever since she was little that grades were important and now it stuck.

Weiss tore her gaze away from Ruby, choosing to instead look at her feet. She continued to stare downwards until Ruby's meek voice caught her attention.

"Okay. I'm ready."

Weiss looked up to meet those grey eyes. Those grey eyes that she loved so much looked hurt and pained. And everything in her being told her to do something about it. To reassure Ruby that she wasn't that angry, or that all she really had to do was apologise and everything would be fine. But she couldn't. Ruby had to figure this one out on her own. Otherwise Weiss' fears wouldn't be put to rest and she would have a constant cloud of doubt hanging over her.

Weiss turned and started making her way towards the schools entrance, Ruby trailing shortly behind. She pushed open the heavy door, instantly being hit by the cool air outside. Weiss inhaled deeply before continuing on. She kept up her pace, walking away from the school. The chatter of the other children eventually dulled and faded into just a unrecognisable noise in the distance.

She hated this.

Their walks home were usually such precious moments that Weiss wouldn't ever want to forget. But she'd gladly forget this moment. Usually they were side by side, hands locked together gently, walking in comfortable silent.

Right now the tension between them was almost suffocating. Ruby was following shortly behind Weiss instead of right next to her. Even though Ruby was only a few steps behind her, she might as well have been a mile away. Weiss' hands felt indescribably cold and ache for some kind of contact with her girlfriend.

Ruby stared at Weiss' back as she followed silently behind. She wanted nothing more than to close the distance between her and Weiss but was afraid that Weiss would just get angrier. That her trying to act like everything was normal would only make it look like she thought she had done nothing wrong.

So she kept walking just behind Weiss, her eyes trained on the floor. Her mouth was pulled into a tight line and her face was emotionless as she blindly followed the path to her house. Her steps felt heavy and slow and the time it took to get to her house seemed to drag and drag and drag.

Eventually, when Ruby looked up she was faced with her front door. She let out a sigh of relief before following Weiss inside.

"Hey Ruby, hey Weiss." She heard Yang call from the couch.

Weiss ignored Yang, walking straight passed her without a word and then stomping her way up stairs. Yang and Ruby shared a glance, then the sound of Weiss slamming a door echoed through the house causing Ruby to flinch.

"Whats up with the Ice Queen?" Yang asked, craning her neck to look over at Ruby who stood just inside the house shuffling her feet miserably.

Ruby trudged further inside, flopping down on the couch next to Yang. She then cuddle up next to her sister, searching for any kind of comfort that she could get. Yang responded instantly, pulling Ruby closer to her. Ruby stayed silent for a while, enjoying the comforting warm that surrounded her, making her feel like everything was okay. Then she let out a long sigh.

"I think Weiss is angry with me." She said in a voice so small and meek, it was almost non-existent.

"Well that much was obvious Rubes." Yang said with a quiet smile. She then gave Ruby a gentle squeeze, causing the redhead to look up at her.

"Ruby, don't worry. I'm sure you two can sort this out. You two are completely, head over heels in love and Weiss wouldn't throw it away over a small fight. So stop panicking and go talk to her." Yang said to Ruby, looking down with a calm but slightly amused expression. She was currently witnessing her little sisters first fight with her girlfriend and Yang thought it was just so precious how she was getting all worked up over it. It wasn't even a real fight. Weiss was just angry at Ruby. But that had happened in the past and they had gotten over it and Yang knew they would get over it this time.

Ruby smiled slightly at Yang's words, them giving her a small bit of hope. Then she slowly lifted herself up, giving Yang a quick thanks, before dashing upstairs. She was eager to get to her room and talk to Weiss but once she reached her door she paused.

Stared at the door in front of her, tracing the wooden grain with her gaze. Thoughts passed through her head at a million mile an hour. Things like 'what if she doesn't want to see me?' and 'what if she just gets even angrier'. She looked down at her hand that was halted mid air, just out of reach of the door handle. She was just about to pull her hand back and walk back downstairs. She would probably give Yang some lame excuse like that Weiss just didn't want to talk right now. And then she would put it off until all the emotion and feelings would boil over and explode, resulting in something horrific.

But then she thought back to earlier today, as she was getting her books. For a moment, Weiss' mask dropped and emotion showed freely on her face. She looked so hurt and confused. And just not like Weiss. Ruby didn't want the girl she loved, the person she treasured more than anyone and anything on this earth to ever look or feel like that. She wanted everything to be sunshine and rainbows all the time. And though she was just a kid, even she realised that wasn't possible. But, for Weiss, she would do everything she could to make it like that.

So she inched her hand forward and gripped the handle. Before entering she gave a small knock on the door, then opening it just a fraction. She stuck her head through the gap, seeing Weiss sat on her bed, knees propped up and a book place on top of them. Weiss looked over the top of her book, seeing Ruby standing in her doorway.

"Hey Weiss. Can we talk?" Ruby asked shyly.

Weiss looked straight at Ruby, hesitating for a second, then nodded. She placed the book down on the bedside table then drew her knees back into her chest. As Ruby walked across the room, Weiss didn't move closer to Ruby. She just stayed still, legs drawn into herself defensively, eyes focused on the bed sheet beside her and Ruby's heart shrivelled in her chest.

She carefully sat down across from Weiss, on the other side of the bed, her legs crossed underneath her. Ruby sat in silence for a long while, the quiet stretching until it eventually broke.

"Are you actually going to say something?" Weiss snapped, her tone filled with simmering rage.

Ruby instantly panicked, her eyes widening as she scrambled for something to say. Usually she would just bat her eye lashes and say sorry but somehow she knew that wouldn't work this time. That used to work, back when they were friends. Now...now it wasn't good enough.

"Sorry!...I'm sorry I just..." Ruby looked away, feeling like a terrible girlfriend and person in general.

She got her bearding back as fast as she could and took a deep breath.

"Weiss..." Ruby said, getting Weiss to look up and meet her eyes for the first time since Ruby had sat down. "I'm sorry...I-I know that school really matters to you and, and I know I know that. And I don't really know what I did to annoy you but, I'm guessing it has something to do with maths class this morning."

Ruby looked up at Weiss, looking for any indication that she was anywhere close. When she got nothing she just pressed forward hoping for the best.

"So I guess, what i'm trying to say is that i'm sorry that I distracted you in maths class and maybe made you miss a mark on your test and that now that I think about it you're reaction was completely expect and totally not unreasonable. I mean, I know how much school and you're grades matter to you and what I said was really kinda dumb. So... I'm sorry."

Ruby stared straight into Weiss eyes, looking for any kind of reaction after her apology had finished falling from her mouth. She stared for what felt like an eternity, staring into cold, icy blue eyes that seemed harsher than she remembered. Her gut tightened and swirled with fear and everything in her told her to run away and just as she was about to give in, Weiss sighed, her head dropping for a moment and when she looked back up her eyes were much softer, more like the ones that Ruby had fallen in love with.

Weiss smiled and Ruby instantly smiled back.

"I forgive you." Weiss said, just sounding relieved.

"Really?" Ruby said hopefully.

Weiss smile just grew a tad larger, as she nodded slightly.

"Yes Ruby. Really." Weiss said, a laugh dancing on the tip of her tongue.

"Yay. Awesome." Ruby leaned across, engulfing Weiss in a tight hug. One that seemed a little more desperate than usual, holding Weiss just a slight bit tighter. Whens she pulled away she looked down for a moment before she gently grasped Weiss' hands in her own, swaying them back and forth slightly.

"Weiss?"

Weiss just replied with a slight hum, too focused on the feeling of Ruby's fingertips skittering across the backs of her hands.

"What were you angry about?" Ruby said weakly, as if it was against to rules to ask a question like that.

Weiss paused for a moment, trying to piece together her sentence in her head perfectly.

"When you said that one more mark didn't matter, I thought but it does matter and surely she knows that. But then I thought what if she doesn't? And then all different kinds of doubts and fears started to sprout up like what if i'm just her high school crush? What if she doesn't really love me? What if she gets over me in a couple of months and moves on? What if she's too immature for a serious relationship? And...I guess my fears got the better of me." Weiss struggled, forcing the last words out around a lump in her throat. As she spoke her emotion got the better of her, tearing the words to shreds on the tip of her tongue. Especially on the words "She doesn't really love me".

When Weiss looked back up to Ruby, she was meet with a completely blank expression and her first though was that Ruby was offended or angry and she quickly jump to counter it.

"I know, I know. It was pretty dumb and I overreacted-"

"No!" Ruby interrupted urgently.

Weiss froze, slightly confused.

"If you ever feel insecure about our relationship, in anyway, just please, talk to me." Ruby said almost desperately.

"Tell me and i'll do everything I can to make those doubts go away." Ruby said as she slid one of her hands up Weiss arm, eventually meeting with her cheek. She stroked at Weiss' cheek with her thumb, getting Weiss to relax and close her eyes. The reaction made Ruby feel bubbly inside.

"Weiss." Weiss' eyes drifted back open.

"You're not just a high school crush to me." Weiss' cheeks lit up slightly, pink colouring them, at the unexpected confession. She was just about to speak up when Ruby cut her off.

"I will not get over you in a couple of months and move on." Ruby continued. A small smile tugged at Weiss' lips, realising what Ruby was doing.

"And I am definitely not too immature, thank you." She said, looking away and tilting her chin backwards in defiance. Adding a slight 'hmpf' for extra effect, getting Weiss to giggle slightly.

"And I am in love with you." She said as their eyes met causing Weiss to smile wider and her blush to deepen.

* * *

**A/n: **So heres another chapter, sorry it took so long and that I don't really have a excuse just didn't really feel like writing much lately.

So in this chapter Ruby and Weiss kinda hit a little bump and i'm kinda worried about this chapter. I've never wrote conflicted between Ruby and Weiss before because it just doesn't seem right to me? And I know they fight sometimes in canon and stuff but in my head they are just perfect so I guess writing this was a little bit of a challenge and I was just wondering if it didn't feel to forced?

Also the first half of the chapter was just kinda nonsense really. Just wanted to write something fun. And the whole chapter was supposes to carry on like that with only a hint at a conflict towards the end but apparently I can't write a chapter without some big emotional bullshit being involve but ehh what ya gunna do?

Last thing is that I think its time to start bringing this story to a close. I have a few more thing I want to get in before the finish tho, so maybe like 4 or 5 more chapters? In all honesty this story has been kinda difficult to write. When I started this I was just like, yeah so imma write a whiterose story, with no really idea or plot behind it and this is where I ended up. So at some points it was kinda difficult to fill in the gaps between what I knew I wanted to write about. But yeah, soon this story will end, but it definitely wont be the last whiterose story I write as I already have a few ideas lined up and even the first chapter written up for some of them so expect more from me even when this is finished.

Sorry if there are any mistakes in this, still getting the grips with re-reading and editing my work properly.


	15. Chapter 15

Viktor Ulrich Schnee took long, driven strides down the hallway of his illustrious home. A home he'd worked to keep, to preserve. A home that he had grew up in and had been passed down to him by his father, who had received it from his father before him, builded by his great grandfather. A house that was filled with expensive ornaments and family heirlooms. A house that he was proud of and had everything he could ever want.

A house that felt empty without his daughter.

He enter the dining hall, which suddenly seemed unnecessarily large and took his usual seat at the head of the table. He looked down the table, lined with empty chairs on either side and had to push down a disappointed sigh.

Ever since Weiss had left he'd woke up every day hope that everything would be back to normal. That he'd look down the table and she would be sat there, like nothing had happen but of course that was never the case.

He missed his daughter. If any of the workers in the house asked, he would probably deny it with sneer and a cold laugh, as that is how he was raised. To not show weakness to anyone, because that wasn't how business was done and that in this world, if you let them, people would just walk all over them.

He thought he was doing a good thing by raising his daughter in the same fashion as he had but it was clear to him now that he had just been neglecting her, pushing her further and further away with each passing day.

He was just glad that she had found someone to give her the love and care she deserved where he had failed to do so. Even if that person was another girl.

Over these two weeks he realised what little he already saw of his daughter, spending most of his time in his study or not even in the house at all. It felt like she had been gone for more than two weeks, more like two years.

A fork and knife fell from his grasp, the metal clanging ungracefully against the plate. He lifted himself out of his chair with a grunt, his eyes opening to scan the table once more, finding it still unoccupied.

Making his way down to his study, he tried to organise what he would be doing that day in his head, what files he would need to approve, what settlements he would need to read over. But by the time he got to his desk and had sat down he still had no idea what he had to get done. He stared down at the papers scattered about his desk, brow dipping in frustrated thought as he once again tried to quickly get organised.

But all his mind could focus on right now was Weiss. His daughter. That he'd just abandoned when she needed him. And he wasn't just talking about the last two weeks. He was talking about over the last, God he didn't even know, years, maybe.

All he knew is that he needed to somehow talk to her.

* * *

Weiss felt cold. Not just a 'its cold out today' kind of cold. A chill you too the bones and make your flesh feel dead kind of cold. She didn't even know what she was doing anymore. She didn't know why she just didn't go back to school, to where Ruby was. She wanted to do just that but her legs weren't listening to her and refused to move. She wanted to see Ruby, all wide eyes, sunshine and rainbows and feel better about everything but she couldn't. For exactly two reasons.

One, was that she couldn't go back to Ruby after storming out of school without even a word to her girlfriend. All because she saw Ruby talking to another girl and got jealous. She had regretted it as soon as she had took the first step outside the school doors.

The walk home had been the worst experience of her life. The cold air biting at her skin, the silence surrounding her sounding deafening. It wasn't like it was with Ruby, it wasn't treasured moments. It wasn't small smiles and hand holding. It wasn't any of that and Weiss had hated it.

In the moment she had felt betrayed, abandoned, scared, hopeless. But now she just felt stupid. She felt like she had over reacted. She had realised that she had made a big deal out of nothing and she was ashamed of herself for reaction that way, for expecting Ruby to somehow hurt her. And now Ruby would be sat by their lockers until she decided to give up on waiting for Weiss.

The second reason was what she had seen as she had rounded to corner onto Ruby's street. A white limousine sat outside Ruby's house. One that Weiss knew belonged to her father, one that would taking her back home. It mean't that she would have to confront him. That today would be the day she would see her father, two weeks after she had run away. She was hurt that it took him this long, that he actually waited two weeks before coming to look for her. She was hurt but still it was something she had expected.

She hadn't lied when she had said to Ruby that she would talk to her father but she didn't realise it would be this soon. She was still afraid, scared of the looks of hatred and embarrassment, of shame and disgust. She was afraid of truly and finally having no one. Her father was the one person she thought would always be there for her, but it turns out he's only there for himself.

She would, if it would stop the sickening twisting in her stomach, lie. Pretend like there was nothing wrong and that she wasn't absolutely, heart in hand and squeeze it until it bursts, in love with Ruby. But she wouldn't. She just couldn't do that to Ruby. She couldn't drag her girlfriend into the closet when she was so comfortable with herself. She didn't want to keep Ruby a secret, and make her feel like she was something to be ashamed of, like how her father saw Ruby. She couldn't tell Ruby that they would have to hide from her father, and therefore everyone. She couldn't tell people who already knew she was in a relationship with Ruby, that it was just a phase, that she didn't feel that way about her.

She wouldn't be able to bare the looks from Ruby, that look of disappointment every time Weiss wouldn't hold her hand. That look of self loathing every time Weiss had to remind her that they were meant to be a secret. That look when she would eventually think that this was somehow her fault or that she didn't deserve Weiss. Because she did. If anything Weiss didn't deserve Ruby. Ruby deserved everything she ever wanted and more.

So she would, but couldn't. For Ruby.

When her legs finally regained the ability to move, Weiss staggered a few steps backwards, ducking back around the corner. She felt her back hit a wall and dropped to the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest.

She needed Ruby. Ruby said she would be here when she spoke with her father. She just needed Ruby to smile at her and make all everything feel okay, like everything was all sunshine and rainbows. Because thats what Ruby was, where Weiss was ice and hatred, Ruby was rose petals and happiness.

She didn't know how long she waited but she waited. And waited, and waited. The wind whipped at her skin and the ground was cold, unwelcoming beneath her but she sat there and waited.

"Weiss!"

She barely heard Ruby's muffled voice over the sound of blood coursing violently through her veins. She only actually noticed the girl when she was stood over her, looking down with a mixture of annoyance, confusion and concern.

"Weiss?" She said softly, quietly as if the mere sound of her voice would scare the other girl.

When Weiss' eyes, wide and fearful, snapped towards Ruby, all annoyance left her features and was replace by pure worry.

"Weiss, c'mon, you're scaring me."

Weiss stood as fast as her trembling body would allow and quickly wrapped her arms around her girlfriends neck, pulling their bodies together. She instantly melted into the embrace and buried her face in the crook of Ruby's neck, breathing out a shaky breath against the cool flesh. She felt a pair of arms snake around her waist and pull her closer. Soft words whispered into her ears as her heart rate slowly returned to normal.

Weiss pulled back to be met with warm, silver eyes, flooding her with a feeling that nothing else could bring.

"Weiss, whats wrong?" Ruby breathed out, almost silently as she lifted her thumps and gently wiped away the tears marring Weiss' cheeks.

Weiss hadn't even realised she had been crying and the realisation made her want to throw up. She hated that he still had this much power over her, that she still actually cared about what he thought. She didn't want to, she wanted to hate him like he probably hated her. But she couldn't, she just couldn't bring herself to hate him.

"Nothing's wrong. I just missed you, you dolt." Weiss mumbled, still lost in the warmth of Ruby's eyes. She again buried her face against the soft skin of Ruby's neck.

"I love you." The words were muffled against Ruby's neck, those three words that Weiss thought she would never get to say. Those three words that made warmth flow freely through her veins, heating her numbed skin. Those three words that still amazed her every time she said them, that those words, those sounds, could bring her such joy and happiness. The amazing feeling as she felt cool breath dance against her ear when the words were echoed back to her.

They stood in silence for a moments, the words seeming to stop spinning just for their moment. Weiss just wanted to relish that feeling for a few moments more. The feeling of being loved, of being cared for. Of being _wanted_. It was a feeling that she could never get enough of.

She let out a sigh and pulled away, seeing Ruby's eyes still clouded with concern, and her lips tugged into a small smile.

"There is the small issue of the possible confrontation with my Father."

Ruby face went through a multitude of expressions, confusion, then realisation, a hint of fear before softening into concern and understanding. Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand gently and started to make her way around the corner towards her house only to be sharply tugged back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss snapped in a hushed tone, a icy edge to get voice.

Ruby chose to ignore the harsh way Weiss was speaking and just smiled amused at her girlfriend.

"Umm...going inside?" Ruby whispered back with mock seriousness.

"But..." Weiss stared, but when she caught the calm and reassuring expression on the other girls face, that sentence faded away before it could make it's way out of her mouth. Her worries mostly melted away and she was left with only an inkling of doubt clinging to her. She was sure that with Ruby's hand in hers she could actually face her father.

"Okay..." Weiss breathed out, finally letting Ruby drag her around the corner and towards her house.

Weiss' eyes locked onto the white limousine parked proudly outside Ruby's house, the light bouncing off it almost blinding. Somehow it seemed like the vehicle was just as arrogant and commanding as her father.

The two men turned to her instinctively, as if they knew she had been hiding around the corner for the past twenty minutes. They shoulders squared and and they stood a little taller as she got close, their eyes fixated on her the entire time. She was used to this sort of treatment, like she wasn't a normal person, like she wasn't just Weiss. She was used to being treated like Weiss Schnee, even after two week without it. By know it had almost been engrained into her and now she just expected people to treat her that way. She just wished it would stop.

"Miss Schnee." One man said, his voice completely neutral. He greeted her the same way most people greeted her in that house. Like she wasn't Weiss. She was just a Schnee. She heard it a thousand times but only just realised, now that she had Ruby, now that she had someone that actually cared about _her_, just how much she hated it.

"Your father has requested you see him immediately." The way he said it made it seem more like a command, an order, than an actual request. Like she was being summoned by her father and she had no actual choice in the matter. The worse part was, she really didn't have a choice. Even now she felt like she couldn't disobey him, as if it went against her very nature, against everything she had been taught growing up.

"We have been sent here to take you back home." Weiss almost wanted to laugh at that. Take her home he says. That house, that building, will never be her home. Maybe once upon a time it was, but that was a long time ago now, a distant memory, more like a dream because of that fact that it felt so unreal, like it never did actually happen. She remember a time when it was warm, comfortable, _safe._ But as it is now, imposing, cold, _hollow_, it would never be her home.

Now her home would always be with Ruby. Ruby was were she felt warm, were she felt safe, were she felt loved. From now until the day she died, Ruby, would always where she felted at home.

She stared up at the man for a few moments, silently brooding, anger almost at the point where it was going to bubble over and explode when she felt a hand softly squeeze her own. She looked back to see Ruby, her home, still with that amazing smile on her face. The one that made Weiss feel like she could actually face her father without breaking down, without losing her sanity all together. That one smile that made her feel like everything was alright.

"Of course, but I do have one condition and that is that Ruby will be allowed to accompany me." Weiss said, her usual icy tone and vicious stare back in place. The two men shared a look before going back to looking towards the girl in front of them.

"You fathers orders were to bring to back no matter what."

Weiss nodded confidently, taking a few steps towards the car only to be held back.

"I just have to go tell Yang." Ruby whispered from behind her. Then Weiss felt the hand clasped into her fingers slip away from her. Weiss instantly gripped Ruby's hand tighter, effectively bringing the girl to a complete halt.

Ruby looked back to Weiss, seeing that the confidence was gone, washed away like dirt in the rain, and her eyes had widened slightly, fear swirling behind her irises.

"Um...Weiss. I sure Yang would want to say bye to you too sooo..." Ruby trailed off nervously, eyes darting to the men behind Weiss who didn't seem to be taking notice to anything they were doing or saying.

Weiss' expression softened and her chest deflated, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Well I wouldn't want to be rude." Weiss said, stepping up next to Ruby. She leaned closer to the girl whispering a light thank you, to which Ruby just smiled in reply before making her way towards the door.

Ruby opened the door and passed through it, Weiss followed and slammed the door shut with what seemed like a resounding thud. She fell backwards against the door and let her eyes slide closed for a moment, letting out a deep breath. When she opened them again she was greet with the sight of Ruby staring back at her, concern weaved into her expression.

"You okay?" She said lightly, carefully, almost as if she feared that Weiss would explode with anger at her question.

Instead her tense body relaxed considerable and her lips tugged up slightly in a small smile.

"Yes."

Ruby just grinned back at her before bouncing away to go speak to Yang. Weiss followed but stopped just outside the entrance to the living room, staring in at her girlfriend talking with her sister. She didn't feel like she actual had to say anything to Yang. Even though they were sort of on friendly term now, it definitely didn't mean they were best friends.

Two minutes later Ruby came back over to Weiss and followed her back to the door.

Just about to turn the nob, Ruby turned back to Weiss, giving her another reassuring smile, Weiss barely returning the gesture, before they both made they way back to the two men waiting patiently outside.

One of the men held the door open for Weiss and she staring inside for moment, unmoving. It was almost pitch black inside, because of the tinted windows. It was like she was staring into her inevitable demise. As if once she stepping into this car, her fate would be sealed and she would be on the road to losing everything she cared about. And the feeling made her stomach twist and turn until she wanted to vomit. But she knew she had to do this, for Ruby. To be with Ruby.

So she sucked in a breath, chilled air coating her lungs in frost and shooting a shiver down her spine, before she stepped into the limo, Ruby following behind her and closing the door.

After a few moments of painful silence, Weiss felt the car lurch forward, along with her stomach. Her foot tapped inpaintently, nervously on the floor, the noise sounding loud in the almost silent car. Weiss watched through darkened windows as the houses moved past in a blur and with each one the dread that was festering in her stomach just grew, inch by inch. She was sure that by the time they reach her house that it would have consumed her completely.

Just when she was starting to really freak out, when she was just about to yell out to the drivers, scream and cry and tell them to stop the car she fell a hand snake its way into hers. She turned her head to the girl next to her, seeing that soft smile on her face once again.

The horrid feel that had begun to take over her washed away with that one small smile and the reminder of why she was doing this whole thing. Ruby. Ruby was the reason she was doing all of this. So she could be with Ruby, so she could spend every moment for the rest of her life with this amazing girl.

She relaxed back into the seat, trying to calm herself down and slowly, painfully slowly, her breathing returned to normal. She didn't take her eyes off Ruby. It was all she could do to keep herself calm and anyway, Ruby didn't seem to mind, staring right back at Weiss.

Weiss felt like she couldn't breath, or maybe it was that she didn't want to, for just the subtle sound of her breath may shattering this moment and that definitely wasn't something she wanted. She started leaning forward, or maybe it was more like falling, inching closers and closers to the girl in front of her with each roll of the tires.

She felt her lips meet Ruby's and that familiar tingle, that feeling, that indescriably something that she felt everytime they kissed, flooded her body. Every inch of her body ignited, her nerves set ablaze with this...sensation. There was a soft graze of lips, so full of passion and love. Then a light exhale, warm breath dusting against her top lip. Two hands found their way to her cheeks and cupped her face, rubbing tenderly with the pad of her thumbs.

For a moment everything stopped and they just were.

Then the kiss deepened, lips pressed more firmly together, soft carresses being passed back and forth. Hot breath and silent gasp filled the almost non-exhistant space between the two girls and with every touch Weiss felt the fear slowly drain from her very being

suddenly Ruby pulled back harshly and Weiss' eyes fluttered open to see her girlfriends eyes piercing her with worry.

"Weiss..." Ruby whispered wiping away the tears rolling down Weiss' cheeks.

"I feel like i'm going to lose you." She said around a sob, her words sound so broken, even to her. To her surprise Ruby just smiled, her eyes shining with her own, unshed, tears.

"You're not going to lose me, I promise." Ruby said, hooking her pinky finger around Weiss and tugging on it lightly. It was so childish and silly and so..._Ruby, _that Weiss couldn't help but smile. And she believed her, she really believe that she wasn't going to lose this amazing girl in front of her. She didn't really have a choice, she _had _to believe, because she thought that if she had to go even one day without looking into those eyes, those eyes so filled with love and care and affection, those eyes that were distinctly Ruby, she didn't think would make it.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly echoed through the car. Weiss turned her head to glare at the source of the noise, which was one of the men sat in the front of the car.

"Sorry to interupt, but we've arrived" He said, his voice sound like posion to Weiss' ears. Her annoyance towards the man was quickly forgotten as his words resigistered and her gaze instantly when back to Ruby, search for that bit of safety she always got just by looking at the girl.

Ruby just smiled, though it had a undertone of sadness before linking their hands together and getting out of the car, pulling Weiss with her.

The air outside was cold and harsh, grinding against Weiss' skin in a way that was almost painful. She looked out over the long winding driveway, remembering the last time she walked down it, how it seemed like so long ago. She stood in silence for a moment, just taking in her surrounding. Even though she had lived here for all her life the place felt so foreign.

She almost didn't want to turn around. She didn't want to see the building that stood behind her, tall and proud. She didn't want to feel that shiver crawl down her spine like she knew it would and she definitely didn't want to feel the dread rise up from her stomach.

But eventually she did turn around and it was everything she expected.

She let Ruby lead her to the steps and she started climbing them slowly. Her heals clicked against the marble in a way that was so familiar but didn't feel real, just like a dream mistaken for reality. It made her want to turn and run, to forget this place even existed.

The climb up those few steps felt like everest and when they finally reached the top Weiss didn't know whether she should be relieved or not. She stood at the door for a while, just staring into the wood graining, tracing the faint lines with her eyes. Anything to distract her for a few more blissful moments, to avoid seeing her Father for just another minute.

Eventually she laid her hand on the door, brass feeling cool beneath her touch and pushing open the large heavy door. She entered the house, Ruby following behind her and let the door fall closed with a hollow thud.

* * *

**A/n: **Hello and thank you for reading this chapter, please leave a review even if it's just to say that you enjoyed! Sorry if there are any mistakes, I'm trying to get better at proof-reading my own work.

I don't really have much to say about this chapter only that i'm sorry that it took so long to come out but also that i don't really have an excuse. The only thing that could be passed off as a excuse is that I've been preoccupied with writing a few other things and couldn't get around to writing this. So if you haven't already please check out those other things, my oneshot that i wrote called Five in the morning(which i still need to read through and correct any mistakes so I'm sorry about that), It RWBY and Whiterose so i'm sure you'll all love it. Another thing i wrote is a small oneshot for the game Life Is Strange, so you can also check that out if you're interested.


	16. Chapter 16

Weiss took a few steps inside the house before she paused, looking around the room. A strange sensation flooded her, a feeling of bewilderment seeping deep into her skin and clinging to her. Her eyes scanned over the room around her and everything was exactly how she remembered it. Everything looked exactly the same but for some reason the room felt unsettlingly foreign to Weiss.

In this room she didn't feel safe, like someone would expect from their own home. No, here she felt exposed, vulnerable, she felt like her whole world could come crumbling down around her any second now, just from being in this room. With each step into the room that feeling grew and grew and she had to keep reminding herself that Ruby was right beside her, that she could get through this, because of Ruby, for Ruby.

She made her way further into the house, reaching that large double staircase that sat in the middle of the room she glance around the room once more, not seeing her father anywhere.

She didn't know what to do in that moment. She didn't think she had the strength or the courage to take any more steps further into the house, steps that brought her closer to the moment her life would shatter and fall apart. So she just stood and waited, hoped that her father would come walking down the hallway any minute now, if nothing else than just to put her out of her misery.

The silence around them was deafening and that same silence seemed to echo down the long hallways, making the situation, the room, the house, the entire world seem so surreal in that moment. It was suffocating and Weiss felt like she was drowning under the pressure, the fear. It took all she had not to turn around sprint back out the door.

But she stayed, she forced her feet to stay rooted to the ground. For Ruby, she reminded herself. So she could be with Ruby and give Ruby everything she wanted and deserved. So she could love Ruby. Because thats what it boiled down to at the end of the day. For Weiss, the feeling of being able to love Ruby, so openly, so completely, was the best feeling in the world and she doubted she would ever experience anything else like it.

A man appeared in front of her as if from nowhere. Or maybe she was jut too lost in thought to notice him before now.

His worn features stared down at Weiss and thin, grey, wisps of hair sat atop his head. Weiss almost recognised the man, his name being on the tip of her tongue. She just couldn't seem to grasp onto it and it eventually slipped away form her.

"It's good to see you Miss Schnee. I'm glad you're home." He spoke, his old brittle voice seeming like it could give out any second now. And that when Weiss recognised him as her butler, the butler she had since she was ten. She couldn't believe she didn't recognise him instantly. Maybe it was because of the fact that she was so eager to leave all of this behind and coming back was sort of like whiplash. Or maybe it was just the way his eyes radiated warmth in the form of the softest shade of green imaginable and the way his words didn't sound so monotone and dull as she remember.

"I'll just go inform your father that you've arrived." he said with a smile, crinkles appearing around his eyes. She cant ever remember him smiling. Maybe she had just never cared enough to look.

She watched him go and with every step he made her heart beat just grew louder and louder until it was like thunder clashing inside of her ear drums. She took a shaky step backwards only to bump into another body.

Spinning around she came face to face with Ruby, who just smiled back at her frighted expression. Before Weiss even had the chance to say anything Ruby cut her off.

"You're fine." A pause, two seconds of silence passed before Ruby spoke again.

"You can do this." Ruby's voice had lowered for those few words, just a fraction above a whisper but it was solid, confident, reassuring. It made Weiss believe in those words. Those words that would have been just hollow and empty coming from anyone else, were so heartfelt and heavy coming from Ruby.

It almost made Weiss smile, almost. But the smile she wanted shone through in her eyes and Ruby definitely caught it.

Then she heard the slamming of a door storm through the room and her spine straightened out instinctively. Her eyes scrunched shut but it was only to prepare herself for what could possibly be the most important few minutes of her life.

Right now, depending on how her father chose to reacted and whether or not he had come to terms with what was happening, Weiss' life could go one way, or it could go the other. She found herself at a fork in the road. She could go down one path and find what she could only describe to be utter bliss, where she had a decent relationship with her father while still getting to experience life with Ruby. Or she could go down the other path where her father officially disowns her and eventually her relationship with Ruby crumbles under the weight of everything. She could only describe that as hell.

Her eyes slowly opened back up as she felt a light pressure on her cheek and only then did she register Ruby's slender fingers gripping her shoulders lightly. She felt warm breath skitter across her cheek as Ruby pulled away slightly, only to whisper into her ear.

"Everything is going to be fine."

Weiss had no idea how Ruby could be so sure but for some reason she believed her.

So she nodded her head determinedly, exhaling a breath that she had been holding for what seemed like forever and waiting for the inevitable moment when her Father walked down the hallway. Waiting for the moment when she would come face to face with him in what felt like the longest time. Waiting for the moment when her life would either crumble or stay solid.

And when she heard the floorboard creek underneath his feet she could only stare.

He came striding around the corner, proudly, one powerful step in front of her other. He had that look on his face, the one she had seen so many times throughout her childhood. That air of superiority, even around the people he cared about. That look of annoyed indifference, like everyone around him was actually just a nuisance. Weiss' hope had already started to fall apart the moment she had seen him.

But then he turned his head, and he actually seemed to notice her. There was a hitch in his stride and he almost stumbled. Whatever smug look her had on his face two seconds ago vanished like a dying ember in harsh wind and what was left was just...blank. His expression held no emotion as he stood there staring, his mouth hanging open slightly.

Weiss couldn't help but hold her breath for possibly the tenth time that day. She hadn't really known what too expect, only vague guesses. She guessed there would be shouting, anger, frustration. Her father always like everything to go to his plan and her liking girls definitely wasn't part of it. So she had expected, at the best, annoyance and begrudging acceptance, mostly just to uphold the image of his company, and at worse she expected hatred and disgust. What she was seeing now thought she had not expected and had not planned for.

She had never seen her father with an expression like that, like he didn't know what to do. He was always ten steps ahead of himself and everyone around him. He always knew what to say, how to get people on his side, persuasion was always his greatest tool and he had used it to climb to the top of the business world.

So his reaction to her being there had stunned her into silence and now the time was just lazily ticking by as the room filled with tension. Weiss had no idea what to say, so she just waited. She waited for whatever her father had called her here for.

"Weiss." Was all he said.

He took a step forwards but stopped when he realised that his daughter took a step back. It pained him, that his daughter would actually back away from him in fear but in that moment he also realised more that ever what a massive mistake he had made. He wanted nothing more that to make it right between them but he knew that couldn't just apologise and they would hug and everything would be better.

"Hello Weiss." He greeted and saw his daughter nod in reply.

He then turned to face the girl stood next to his daughter, her girlfriend. The girl that loved Weiss as much as he did. He remembered back to when he had first met her, how he had booted her own on the street.

"Hello Ruby." He spoke, carefully.

The girl look up from the spot on the carpet she had been staring at so intently for the past minute. She looked surprised and more than a little frightened that he was actually speaking to her. He couldn't have hated himself more in those moments.

"Hello Mister Schnee." She said quietly, politely and he couldn't help but smile softly.

Weiss glanced to the girl at her side and then back to her father. She was surprised to see that there was no harsh glare plastered on his face. His eyes didn't hold malice or hatred or even annoyance. He looked almost...grateful, as he stared down at Ruby.

Weiss cleared her throat and her father's gaze flickered over to her.

"Why am I here." Was all she managed to force out, her words strangled and rough.

His daughters words hit him like a truck, although he managed not to show it. He never through he would hear his daughter sound so distraught. So confused and so angry and so tired. He never though he would be the one who could cause all that.

He took in a small breath.

"Weiss, I know that I can't just say sorry and you'll-"

"Of course not!" Weiss screamed, her face flushed with anger. Her words seemed to echo in the large house, stunning her father into silence.

"Of course you can't." She continued quietly. Although quieter, more controlled, her words held just as much anguish and pain.

"You kicked me out. No. You didn't kick me out. What you did was worse. You made me want to leave. Me!"

Weiss almost wanted to laugh.

"You made the girl that has depended on this family's name to protect her, leave. You made the girl who is scared of everything she cant control run away from home. And you just let me go! You just let me go. You watched with a smirk on you're face. And that look on you're face when I told you I wanted to date Ruby. Do you even realise how much that hurt?"

Weiss paused for a second, as if she was actually expecting an answer, then she just shook her head, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"Of course you don't."

Her eyes met his again. His face was blank, emotionless. Like stone. As he waited for her too continue. Almost as if he was just accepting this punishment.

"It hurt. Too have the one person I thought I would always be able to depend on, the one person I thought would actually be there for me, look at me like I'm this...thing. Like i'm this unimaginably disgusting...thing."

Weiss choked on the last word, tears stinging the edges of her eyes, fighting to be free. The flimsy resolve of her voice had broken, snapped and shattered into a million pieces and she felt like she would suffocate on her own words. Her throat burned like she had just swallowed lava and she thought it would never recover. Her own tears felt like acid as they slipped down her face, gracelessly rolling down her cheek until they eventually fell to the floor. Dark stains marred the pristine carpet where they fell and Weiss was sure she could hear the sound of them hitting the floor in the silence of the room.

She stared down her father, her eyes unwavering from his as the silence around them coiled, becoming thicker and thicker, more dense, with each passing second.

"And all because I let myself love Ruby."

She squeezed the hand in hers, reminding herself again what all this was for. Reminding herself why she was going through all this, for Ruby. If it was anyone else she would have took the easy way out. She would have given in a long time ago but for Ruby she would do anything.

After the past six months she had realised that without Ruby she would be lost. Without Ruby she would be nothing. So she would fight tooth and nail to keep her.

He had watched his daughter outburst with rapt attention: the way her body shook with anger at every word; how one hands was clenched into a fist, the other wrapped tightly around Ruby's; he watched as her eyes screwed shut as she attempted to blink away some of her remaining tears; he watched as her jaw clenched and she stared at him with flames of anger burning inside her eyes.

"You're right."

Weiss reeled back slightly as she registered her fathers words, some of the tension bleeding from her body and seeping away, purely from shock. She stared at him skeptically for a moment waiting for him to continue.

When he said his next words his voices was like steel. Strong, solid. He was confident in his next words, as he looked his daughter straight in the eye.

"You're right. I've been a terrible father."

Weiss' eyes widened slightly as she took in her father's words, which were made all the more sincere because of his tear that fell silently to the ground. Weiss couldn't even remember the last time she saw her father cry. It was such a far away possibility that she couldn't have even imagined it.

"For a long time, not just these past two weeks, I've neglected you. I never really realise how quiet it could be around here until you left."

He looked around the room, as if that would somehow prove his point. Or maybe he was just remembering. Remember the past few weeks and how his voice always sounded too loud or how the sound of the floorboards creaking seemed out of place. Maybe he was thinking about how cold it was, or how big the house felt.

"I've...I'm sorry Weiss. Even though my words probably don't mean anything to you at this point, I am sorry."

"I don't expect you to forgive me but I want you to give me a chance. I'll make it up to you." He said, looking down at his daughter hopefully.

"How?" Her small voice sound odd, misplaced, next to his.

"I don't know...but I know where we can start." He lips curled into a small smile as he spared a glance over a Ruby. his eyes crinkled in the corners, showing his age, and Weiss got a glimpse of a man she remember from a long time ago.

"This weekend i'm attending a charity ball and I would like it if you...and Ruby would accompany me."

Weiss narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"And would Ruby be attending this ball as my friend? Or..." She trailed off.

Her father let out small chuckle, if it could even be called that. More like just releasing a humorous puff of air and his smile grew for a moment before falling back.

"She can come as whatever you want her to be."

Weiss turned to her girlfriend.

"Ruby?" She asked after a small moment of silence.

"Oh! Yeah, sure. I mean i've never been to one of these high class fancy-pancy balls, but i'd love too, but, are you sure i'd be able to fit it there, i'm not exactly high class and if its a ball, then people are gunna be dancing right? And like i'm no good at dancing, but other than that I mean yeah it sounds like fun." Ruby finished with a deep inhale. When she looked up and caught Mister Schnee's raised eyebrow she mumbled a quiet 'sorry' as her cheeks lit up a subtle shade of pink.

Weiss turned back to her father saying, "She tends to ramble when she's nervous.", and ignoring the indignant 'hey!' that she heard from behind her.

Her father barked out a few moments of laughter. Real laughter and Weiss realised she can't even remember the last time he laughed, not a fake business-style chuckle, full on laughter. She couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sure you'll be fine dear." He boomed once his laughter had subsided.

"Th-thanks, I guess?" Ruby sputtered nervously.

"Don't mention it. So, I'll be seeing you both there then?" He asked and Weiss could see the hope burning in his eyes.

She gave a quick nod and the way his face lit up was like nothing she had even seen before. He then turned to Ruby who also nodded and he smiled at the girls.

"You'll also be moving back in then Weiss?"

Weiss struggled with her answer for a moment, because she really wanted to believe that he could make it up to her. She wanted to believe that her father could have changed and that he would be accepting of her and Ruby. She wanted, more than anything- with the one exception being Ruby-, for his words to be true.

"Yes." She breathed out and she felt a weight life off her chest.

It was silent for a moment as the three soaked up Weiss' reply and what it meant. She felt someone pulled her around and was then engulfed in a bone crushing hug from Ruby.

"I told you everything would be okay." Ruby whispered into her ear.

A small laugh bubbled from Weiss, more from relief that anything else. She melted into the embrace, revelling in the warmth and comfort she felt, which was a harsh contrast to the tense air that almost suffocated her just a few moments ago. She let out a breath that had been caged in her lungs for the past ten minutes.

When she heard the sound of her father clearing her throat, her shoulders tensed slightly, automatically expecting the worst. When she turned and faced him she only saw warmth in his eyes, she deflated, pink covering her cheeks.

"Sorry." She mumbled lightly, mostly for expecting the worst automatically and not from her public display of affection with Ruby.

"How about I drive you over to Ruby's so you can get your stuff?" He asked quietly.

She just replied with a nod before recoiling back slightly after thinking his words over once more.

"Wait. You can drive?" She asked skeptically.

"Of course! I love to drive, why do you think we have all those cars in the garage. They're not just for show. I'm insulted Weiss." He said as his face _almost _resembled a pout

"Well, If you love driving so much why do we have a driver? Hmm? And why don't you drive yourself places?" She asked, thinking she had already won whatever battle that bubbled up between them.

"Wouldn't want ol' Jeffrey to be out of a job." His expression softened and a small smile appeared as he stared down at his daughter, enjoying just talking to her after what seemed like so long.

A moment of silence passed before he clapped his hands together loudly.

"Go on and fetch a bag for your stuff then. I'll just be finishing a few things in my study so there's no rush." He called back as he turned to walk away, not even waiting for their reply. Impatient as always Weiss mused.

Weiss turned to Ruby, mumbling something that indicated the girl should follow her, before starting off down the hallway towards her room. They walked in silence for a few moments, Weiss not really knowing what to say, then she felt a bump against her shoulder.

"Y'know you could just say my name." Weiss said without turning to look over at her girlfriend

"You're smiling." Ruby said in a sugary-sweet tone.

"Shut up you dolt." Weiss said even as her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink.

When they reached Weiss' door she gently pushed it open and after a moment of just standing there she took a step inside, being followed by Ruby. She scanned the room, just like she had done when she first entered the house, and was slightly surprised that it still felt like her room. Everything looked the same and it still felt like everything in this room was hers.

She stood, slightly stunned, in the doorway until Ruby waltz passed her and flopped down on the bed in true Ruby Rose fashion. Weiss tried fighting back the smile at seeing her girlfriend so comfortable in her room, she really did.

She dragged her gaze away from Ruby who was rolling around of her bed, rambling about how soft her bed covers were, and returned back to gazing back her room with something akin to fondness. She walked around the room picking up miscellaneous objects around the room, trophies, stuffed animals, small boxes holding random things. She smiled at how everything was exactly how she remember it and even if she couldn't remember exactly where she had gotten most of this stuff it was undeniably hers.

When she had left she half expected her father to torch her room, but looks like she was wrong.

Ruby's voice filtered back in somewhere around, "So that is why I ask, No! Demand that you swap sheets with me Weiss."

"Is it weird that I missed this room when two weeks ago I couldn't get away fast enough." Weiss half said, half breathed, choosing to ignore whatever ridiculous rant Ruby was on for the more important matters that crowded her mind.

Ruby took a look around, seeming to be search for the answer before turning back and smiling.

"Nope." Weiss raised an eyebrow when she figured Ruby was just going to leave it at that but after a moment the girl carried on.

"Maybe...what this room means to you has just changed." Ruby smiled brighter, looking proud of herself before nodding as if you reassure herself that she was in fact correct.

Weiss just returned her girlfriends smile for a moment, there eyes locked together as Weiss was remind that what she had been through the past two weeks was entirely worth it.

When Weiss broke eye contact in was only to walk over to her closet and pull out a large duffel back before turning back to Ruby.

"Come on." Weiss left the room, looking back to make sure Ruby was actually following her only to be met with the sight of her bed sheets.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss asked.

Ruby's head appear around the pile of fabric.

"I wasn't joking." She said, her voice determined and her face about as serious as it got.

Weiss was about to protest, about to argue that it was ridiculous and if Ruby wanted silk bedding that badly Weiss would personally buy her some but before she got the chance Ruby cut her off.

"I need something to replace you since you won't be staying at my house anymore." Ruby said in a voice so tiny it was almost non-existent.

Weiss mouth snapped shut instantly as a deep blush formed on her cheeks, her heart melting in her chest. She had no idea how to reply to so she just opened up the duffel bag and demanded Ruby put them inside.

"I really don't want to explain to my father the reason why you're taking my sheets home." She said as she zipped the bag back up, before turning and practically sprinting down the hallway.

Ruby just followed behind with a smile on her face.

* * *

**A/n:** If anyone has any criticisms about how Weiss reacted to her father leave a review about it and I will FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH- ugh, I mean we can talk about it. I just want to make clear that their relationship (Weiss and her father that is) hasn't instantly gone to sunshine and rainbows (as stated in this chapter at least twice I think) and it is something I will go into more detail on next chapter.

Only two more chapters to go. The next chapter will be the charity ball that ol' mister schnee mention and then there will be one closing chapter and maybe a small epilogue after that if I feel its necessary.

As for after this story is finished, I have a few ideas that i'm really excited to start on, but unlike this story I want to go into the planning a little more before I actually start writing and I also want to get a few chapters ahead of myself before I actually start posting them so It might be a while before I realease anything new.

But anyways, until next chapter. Please leave a review if you feel inclined to do so.

(sorry if they're are any mistakes its almost 4am and i'll read this over again tomorrow to check for errors.)


	17. Chapter 17

When Weiss woke up all she could think about was the undeniable and all-encompassing scent of roses. For a moment, a single blissful moment she thought she was still in Ruby's house, still in Ruby's bed, still beside Ruby. But reality crashed down on her like a cinder block when her eyes fluttered open and she was faced with pale blue walls and pristinely white furniture.

Weiss rolled onto her back, staring up and the ceiling and clutching her- _Ruby's- _bed sheet between her fingers. She truly didn't know how to feel about waking up in her own bed after so long, feeling like she had just taken a massive leap backwards. So she clung to the only thing that proved the last to weeks were in fact reality.

A loud knocking shattered her thoughts.

"Miss Schnee? Are you awake?" The muffled voice came through the door.

"I'm awake." Weiss shouted back, not wanted to leave the comfort of her bed just quite yet.

She only allowed herself a few more moments to bask in the emotions currently thrumming through her veins. Everything felt so surreal. After two weeks of thinking that she wouldn't never return to this room, after thinking she would be better off if she never saw the room again, waking up in it and feeling..._happy, _feeling a small tingle of warmth,about it felt so strange. She felt like she was betraying herself, a part of herself that still wanted to kick and scream and rebel against her father.

She slipped from beneath the covers, only stopping for a second to stare fondly down at her new bedding.

She strolled into the bathroom and began her morning routine, falling easily back into it after following it for years. After brushing her teeth she stepping into the shower and let out a happy sigh as the warm water fell down her back. Quickly washing her hair and finishing after only a few minutes she stepped out of the showers and got dressed in her room.

She made her way to the door but stopped and look back at her room. Her gaze swept across her the room, feeling that unfamiliar tingle flow down her spine, that sense of comfort, of home, that she had never expected to associate with this place ever again. She couldn't help but smile.

But as soon as she had step out of her own room she felt that feeling wash from her body and a feeling she was very familiar replace it. It was a feeling of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and fear that only came from entering a place she felt unwelcome. A place that she couldn't call home, a place she felt unsafe.

She push the feeling down, drowned it with warm memories of yesterday, of when her father had laughed like she had never seen before, of when Ruby had hugged her so tightly she thought she might pop, of when she saw that shimmer of light in her fathers eyes as he stare down lovingly at her.

_Things have change. Things are different now. _She chanted to herself, over and over, as she slowly made her way down the hall. She walked towards the dining hall, at what could only be called a snails pace, almost reluctant to reach her destination, not want to see what awaited her there.

Even thought she walked slowly she reached the door in what felt like the blink of an eyes. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, nothing giving her mind the chance to create more dreadful scenarios.

To her absolute and honest surprise her father was sat at the head of the table, a mug of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other, reading class perched on his nose as he peered down at the text. He had a plain white shirt on with a black tie slung around his neck, which in itself was surprising as she could only ever remember seeing him in a full white suit. The scene was such a cliché that she almost wanted to laugh.

The noise of the door opening had drawn his attention to her and a moment of blankness clouded his face, like he was stunned by the fact that she had actually joined him for breakfast. The surprise melted away after a moment and gave way to a gently smile, the words 'Goodmorning Weiss' falling from between it.

Relief flooded Weiss and she quickly moved to take a seat close to her father, not right next to him, not on the opposite side of the table like usual. When she looked up he had a look of reluctant acceptance, with a underlying of hurt, and she was sure it was in relation to her seating choice. But she decided that this was all she could manage and he seemed to know too as he returned his gaze to his newspaper.

Silence past and the clattering of plates from another room filled the space. The scene was starting to become all too familiar, disturbingly like their meals before her two weeks away, and that was something that Weiss didn't want. She didn't want to feel like there was a endless abyss between them went in reality it was only a few feet. Even though she realised that it would take a long time to rebuild the bridge that had collapse she also realised that she would have to start somewhere.

So she started tried starting a conservation, saying the very first thing that came to mind.

"You're not wearing your suit." She said, quietly, testing the waters because while she was certain conversation at breakfast was something every normal family did there was still a nagging feeling of fear in the back of her mind.

Her father glanced up, catching his daughters hesitant and guarded expression. It was the expression he expected from a person falling to their death from a thousand feet. As if his daughter was looking to the sky and falling, not knowing when she was going to hit the ground but already resined to the inevitable.

So he just smiled.

"I threw them out." The said almost proudly and when his daughter turned to him with a expression of pure shock he let a chuckle roll from his throat.

"Bu-but, you always wear those suits." Weiss sputtered, absolutely confused by her fathers sudden disposal of attire.

"I realised how ridiculous it was to wear the same suit all the time, as if I was some sort of cartoon character." His sentence was punctuated with a soft bout of laughter from his daughter and the sound brought and unbelievably wide smile to his face.

"I suppose it was rather childish." Weiss replied around a mouthful of food.

He was about to scold her about talking with her mouthful after all the years disciplined on proper dining etiquette but caught himself just before it was too late, holding his tongue. He realised that he didn't have the right to scold her for anything. Not right now. Not only a day after he had accepted his own daughter in her home after practically kicking her out. So with a unnoticed shake of his head he returned his attention to his newspaper.

"I can't believe you would say that about your old man, especially after not telling me just how ridiculous I looked for all those years." He mumbled in a childlike way that held no actual offence.

* * *

Weiss shoved a few books into her locker, pulling the ones she needed out. She slammed the locker door closed with a sigh, her head dropping slightly to the look at the floor.

She had been feeling slightly off today and she knew exactly why. She hadn't seen Ruby yet today and it was lunch. They didn't have any shared lessons today and after two weeks with her girlfriend Weiss figured the she was going through withdrawal.

She shook her heads at the own thoughts, leaning towards the locker slightly to take the weight of her feet. She just stood there and practically counted the seconds as she waited for Ruby, hoping that she would just come bouncing around the corner any second now.

Fortunately it wasn't too long until she got her wish.

She felt a pair of arms slip around her waist and she instantly relaxed into them, feeling the weight in her chest dissolve like it was nothing. Weiss let her eyes flutter shut and let out a happy sigh.

"Weisssssss, I missed you." Ruby whined out from behind her and Weiss found a small smile coming to her lips.

"Ruby, we saw each other just yesterday." Weiss said, her tone not as harsh as it usually would be and more on the teasing side of things.

Weiss felt the arms peel away from her waist reluctantly and Ruby walked to her own locker. She looked over to Weiss with a innocent pout on her face.

"Are you saying that you didn't miss me." Ruby asked with just a hint of insecurity and just that slight bit of it tore at Weiss' heart. She regretted even trying to joke.

"Of course I did." Weiss said softly and she didn't resister the urge to lean forward. Her lips met Ruby's and she felt that familiar spark shot through her. Happiness bubbled up inside of her when she felt Ruby smile against her lips.

"Love you." Was breathed out against her lips, Ruby's voice sounding so sweet, like music, to her ears.

"Love you too."

* * *

Ruby paced the small space of her bedroom, tugging nervously at the fabric that clung to her. She was wearing the dress she had wore to dinner with Weiss' father. She wished she didn't have to, she didn't like wearing dresses in the first place, but this was the only thing she had that was appropriate for where they were going and the fact that it was this dress made her feel a sense of dread crawling over her.

Just looking at it have brought back memories from that night where she had felt so helpless and so alone and actually putting it on only made those feeling grow.

So she just couldn't sit still and ended up practically bouncing of her bedroom walls just waiting for Weiss to get here.

She heard the knock at the door and for a moment she just stared at her bedroom door helplessly. When she final got moving again she ran her hands down her dress a few times, straightening out the imaginary creases. She quickly made her way downstairs and pulled open the door before she could change her mind.

What greeted her made her breath catch in her throat.

Weiss was stood on her front step staring up at her with a smile on her face. She was wearing was shoulderless dress with no sleeves, showing much of her pale, milky skin and Ruby drank in the sight it was water. The skirt ended just after her knees and her legs ended in white heels.

The things that stood out the most though was that Weiss wasn't wearing her hair in her signature ponytail. It felt down freely, falling over her shoulders slightly and down her back in endless waves of pure white.

Ruby couldn't resist the urge to drag her eyes over Weiss' form, once then again for good measure.

When her eyes traveled back up to Weiss' face she caught her mouth moving and realised that she was trying to say something.

"Ruby?" She ask, slightly confused, her voice only just fading back into existence.

"You look beautiful." The words fell from her lips without her even thinking about and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

For a moment Weiss was stunned clearly not expecting the blunt compliment. After a beat passed her head jolted downwards in embarrassment, her cheeks lighting up with a shade of pink that matched Ruby's.

"You do too. I mean. Look beautiful, that is." Weiss stammered out in an unusual moment of fluster.

Ruby took a few steps forward, breaking out of her trance quite easily. She linked arms with Weiss and had to practically drag her away for the first few steps.

"Thanks! But theres no way I look as good as you." Ruby said watching the flush on Weiss cheeks grow deeper.

"Well, of course you don't. Though that's just the way of things I suppose." Weiss said with a smug tone, even though her cheeks were still burning with heat.

Ruby just laughed at her girlfriends ego.

Weiss let her climb her way into the limousine first and as Ruby got settled following in behind her.

Ruby lifted her eyes to meet the gaze of Weiss' father who was sat on the other side of the car. The air between them was tense and Ruby could tell his smile was slightly nervous. It wasn't much of a surprise, Ruby expected at least this much.

His tight lipped smile stretch just a bit.

"Hello Ruby." His voice was slightly reserved.

"Hello Mister Schnee, thank you for inviting me." Ruby said polity, only just meeting the man's eyes.

He opened his mouth again, as if to continue but then closed his mouth and shook his head, moving his eyes to the window. He looked like he was holding back from something.

Ruby looked over to Weiss, seeing her staring over at her father with a questioning look in her eye. Her gaze moved over to Ruby and she just shrugged.

Ruby's eyes moved around the interior of the car for a moment before settling on an random spot on the floor. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath and shook her head sightly. She notice that the hair she tucked around her ear had fallen and re-tucked it behind her ear. Her eyes moved from one window to the other watching as the landscape roared by. The hair behind her ear fell again and she moved tuck it back.

Her hand got caught midair and she turned to look at Weiss who had a small smile on her lips.

"Nervous?" She asked, her amusement lighting up her voice.

"No." Ruby huffed.

Weiss just shot her a pointed look.

"Yes." She sighed, deflating slightly.

"Whats there to be nervous about?" Weiss asked softly.

"Everything." Ruby said, her voice sounding as if she was already doomed.

"Ruby, there is nothing to worry about."

"But there is! What if I fall in these damn shoes." Ruby stamped her foot on the ground angrily for emphasis.

"If you fall, i'll catch you." Weiss countered.

"Okay, but what if people laugh." Ruby said, sounding annoyed that her first worry was shot down like it was noting.

"Ruby you forget that these people are high class. They haven't laughed in years so you have nothing to worry about." Weiss said, only half joking. She decided not to mention that they won't laugh but probably will make venomous comments behind their wine glasses.

"But...what if someone tries to talk to me. I'll probably seem like an idiot." Ruby could just picture it now. Someone would probably ask her a question and she wouldn't even recognise half the words they used in the question.

"I'll be beside you all night. I can do all the talking for you." Weiss said, a soft smile on her face.

Ruby just sighed, realising that it would be useless to go on. Weiss would have an answer for anything she could come up with.

"Feel better now?" Weiss asked.

"Not really."

"Okay..." Weiss said sounding slightly annoyed but then her voice softened as she continued.

"Think about it this way, even if someone talks to you and you mess up, which causes you to trip, stumble into the food and drinks table and fall head first into the punch bowl, which causes everyone to laugh at you and then you get kicked out, it doesn't matter..." Ruby looked slightly more annoyed with every second that Weiss' scenario continued.

When Weiss' voice trailed off into nothing, it caused Ruby to turn her head from where she was staring out of the window, meeting Weiss eyes that shone with emotion.

"it doesn't matter, because I'll still love you." She whispered, her warm breath washing over the skin of her cheek. Ruby just stared into those eyes that looked at her with so much love and cared she almost drowned in it.

"And i'll pick you up, right out of the punch bowl, even if it means ruining my dress." Weiss continued, her words causing a giggle from Ruby.

"And i'll take you home and clean you up." Weiss said, causing a blush to erupted on Ruby's cheeks at the image.

"And i'll hold you until you fall asleep." Weiss smiled fondly at the girl who was now in her arms.

"So don't worry about what anyone else think, or what they'll say, because you'll always have me." Weiss said in a hushed tone, inching closer to Ruby with every word. Their lips met, passion and love and care poured into every gently movement, every loving caress.

When Ruby pulled away her face was lit up in pink and she hid in the crook of Weiss' neck.

Weiss could feel the words 'I love you Weiss' mumbled against the skin of the shoulder.

"I love you too." Weiss whispered against the shell of her girlfriends ears. She pulled back slight, only to lean back in, pressing her lips against Ruby's cheek and then again on the girls jaw. She ran her hands up Ruby's back, fingers dancing up the girls neck before resting on her cheek. Wisps of Ruby's hair tickling at the back of her hand and Weiss didn't resist the urge to curl a lock around her finger.

Weiss sighed happily, sheer bliss flooding out in the form of her breath.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke through the haze that surrounded the two.

Ruby looked over at Weiss' father, mumbling a apology, while Weiss just glared a whole in the window, quite annoyed that their moment had been interrupted.

"Don't apologise." He said and Ruby could hear the sincerity in that statement.

"I just thought i'd let you two know that we're here." He continued, his voice somewhat amused.

Weiss' gaze snapped over to meet her father, her face set in a slight scowl.

"Thank you father, we'll be right behind you." She said pointedly, her voice sharp and cold.

He didn't even looked surprised, just nodded slightly before getting of out the car.

A few moments passed in silence, Ruby processing what she had just seen, the heated stare Weiss had aimed at her dad, the way he just gave with without a fight. Weiss used the few moments to allow herself to relax slightly, her hand reaching back up to Ruby's cheek, her eyes meeting her girlfriend's again.

"He's trying y'know." Ruby mumbled softly, trying not to provoke Weiss in anyway.

Weiss let out a breath, sighing, because of course she knew that, she knew but she couldn't help that sometimes her anger would just flare up at random moments, usually about Ruby. She couldn't help that whenever her girlfriend came up, or would be around, that she flashback to how he had treated her that night at dinner. How he had told her that she wasn't good enough when in reality Ruby was ten times more than Weiss could ever ask for. She hated that he had almost ruined her friendship with Ruby, because even though that had been the full extend of their relationship at the time, friendship, it still mean't everything to her.

"Yes, I know, of course I do but...sometimes I just can't help but be angry." Weiss said, sounding regretful. She didn't want to be angry, she didn't want to be filled with rage every time he smiled and it seemed like he was just trying to sweep everything under the rug.

"Will it ever get better?" Weiss asked, her voice strain and weak, almost to the point that it sounded hopeless.

Ruby's arms tightened around Weiss' waist, her heart clenching painfully and the tone of the other girls voice.

"Oh Weiss-y, it'll be okay. It'll just take more than an a couple days." Ruby said softly, threading her fingers softly through her girlfriend's hair.

"I appreciate the advice Ruby, but please do not call me _Weiss-y._" The last word was said with slight disgust, Weiss clearly not happy with her new pet name.

Ruby pulled back slightly, eyeing Weiss with curiosity, before her lips pulled up in an evil grin. She quickly jumped up from her seat, chirping a cheerful 'Nope'.

"Now c'mon _Weiss-y, _lets go." Ruby said, a teasing tone to her voice, before practically diving out of the limo.

"Ruby Rose! Do not. Call. me. that!" Weiss yelled following Ruby out of the car.

The two followed Weiss' father into the building, coming to a set of large doors that had been propped open. Two people stood dutifully to the side of the doors greeting people as they entered. Mister Schnee made his way up to them without hesitation, shaking the mans hand then moving over the kiss the woman on the cheek.

"Viktor! Good to see you, been a while hasn't it." The man say, a bright but reserved smile crossing his face.

"Just been busy as usual friend. How have you been?" He ask, seeming at least somewhat genuinely interested.

"Same old, same old, nothing interesting." He said shaking his head with a laugh, causing a small chuckle from Mister Schnee. Ruby didn't really understand the joke.

The mans eyes drifted over to Weiss, and by proxy, Ruby. Ruby tensed slightly as he seemed to look them up and down before locking onto their eyes, holding eye contact.

"Ah! This must be Weiss. Nice to meet you." He said politely, holding out his hand for her to take.

"Weiss Schnee." She said, seemingly out of obligation, and reached out to take the hand offered.

His eyes shifted to Ruby.

"You must be a friend of Weiss'." He said, the same smile still plastered on his face.

Ruby froze for a moment, surprised that anyone was even talking to her, then slowly raised her hand to take his, planning on just nodding her head and keeping her mouth shut. But before she could barely move her hand Weiss had spoken up.

"No, actually, Ruby is my girlfriend." Weiss said proudly, only seeming slightly embarrassed.

Ruby took in the slightly shocked expression of the man in front of her for a moment before turning to catch the subdued blush on her girlfriend's cheeks. Before turning back to the man who's mask of indifference was only just slipping back into place.

She smiled brightly, taking the man's still outstretched hand and shaking it.

"I'm Ruby, nice to meet you." She said, not being able to keep the sly smirk off her face as she shook back half heartily.

"Yes...yes, of course. Nice to meet you too Ruby." He said, recovering from his initial shock.

Weiss lead Ruby into the main hall and away from the man who seemed to be unable to get his bearings.

Ruby took in the sea of people in front of her and feel panic tickle at the back of her mind. She was absolutely sure that she would make a fool of herself at least once this evening, but remembering Weiss' words in the car, she push the panic to the side.

She looked over to Weiss, meeting her eyes and letting a small smile fall in place.

"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked honestly, having no idea what to do.

"Whatever you want." Weiss said with a small smile.

"I'm hungry." Ruby said immediately, not having ate much today due to nerves.

Weiss replied with a small laugh, covering her mouth with her hand slightly.

"Of course you are. Come on you dolt." Weiss lead Ruby over to a table that was cover with a wide range of food.

She watched as Ruby surveyed the table for a moment, her eyes scanning every item of food laid out, then her face scrunched up slightly.

"Weiss."

"Yes Ruby?"

"I have no idea what any of this is."

Weiss just laughed, causing a look of mock hurt from Ruby which quickly morphed into a smile as Weiss started picking out different things she thought Ruby would like.

When Ruby had gotten her food people had started approaching Weiss, talking to her about different things that Ruby barely understood, and so found herself zoning out for most of the conversation. Though with every person that came to talk to Weiss, she would introduce Ruby as her girlfriend without fail and Ruby enjoyed the warmth that swirled in her chest every time it happened.

After about an hour of random conversation, Weiss had persuaded Ruby to dance with her. So after having to drag Ruby out on to the dance floor, she stood there looking at Ruby expectantly before realising a slight flaw in her plan.

"You don't know how to dance do you?" Weiss asked, watching as Ruby shook her head dejectedly, causing Weiss heart to clench painfully.

"Hey, it's okay." Weiss mumbled, when Ruby's eye fell to the floor.

"No it isn't. If you were dating one of these high-class people, you won't have this problem, they'd know how to dance." Ruby said childishly, suddenly feeling out of place surrounded by all these sophisticated people

"Ruby, it's fine. We can just...sway." Weiss watch as Ruby face screwed up slightly, looking up at her in confusion.

"Sway?"

"Yes. Just...here, put you're arms around me." Weiss said, guiding Ruby's arms around her waist. She then wrapped her own arms loosely around Ruby's neck and began rocking their bodies gently from side to side.

She felt Ruby sigh happily into her neck, feeling a tingle shoot down her spine at the sensation. She relaxed into the embrace, feeling Ruby's arms loosen just enough to hold onto her firmly and let her eyes flutter closed. She focused on the sound of the soft music floating through the hall and the feeling of Ruby's arms wrapped around her. In this moment she felt content.

"I don't know how you do it." Ruby whispered into her hair a few moments into the dance.

"Do what?"

"This, make it okay for me to dance in front of all these people." Ruby replied.

Weiss just stayed silent, a happy smile on her face, waiting for Ruby to continue.

"Usually I would have been so nervous that by now I would have tripped and fell over...twice. Then once more trying to get up."

Weiss just shook her head at what she was sure was her girlfriend exaggerating.

"I love you Weiss." Ruby finished, her arms tightening around Weiss' waist for a moment.

Weiss repeated the words to Ruby, softly whispering them against the skin of the girls shoulder.

After a few more minutes of dancing them made their way away from the floor.

They spend another hour milling around, Ruby talking quietly with Weiss until someone would come up and interrupt, stealing Weiss' attention. After the seventh person, Ruby was getting quiet frustration with having to share Weiss with the general public.

"I'm just going to the bathroom but when I come back we can go outside if you want?" Weiss asked, pointed to the doors that let out into a garden area, noticing Ruby's annoyance every time someone would call out her name.

"Yeah, sure, i'd love that. I'll wait here." Ruby said, happy that she'd get time alone with Weiss but also irritated that she'd been so easy to read.

Ruby watched Weiss go until the girl disappeared around the corner, with a sigh she turned back to look over the crowd. However as soon she she turned around she was meet with the face of a boy she didn't know who was standing slightly too close for comfort.

"Hello." He said, a seemingly polite smile curling at his lips.

Ruby panic for a moment, realising that she wouldn't have Weiss to save her from conversation this time, but she quickly steeled herself, taking a mental, calming breath. She had been watching Weiss talk to people she hated all night, so Ruby was sure she could do it this once.

"Hi." She said, forcing her lips into a smile.

"Was that Weiss Schnee you were just talking to?" He asked in a way that told Ruby she should just lie and say no but she pushed the feeling away, her smile turning genuine at the thought of her girlfriend.

"Yeah, why?"

"You two seem close, I haven't seen her leave your side all night." Ruby paused at his words. He had been watching them...all night?

A chill swept over her body but she willed herself to stay calm.

"Yeah, I guess you could say were close." She said, having to restrain herself from smirking.

His smile seemed to grow slightly, as if he had achieved something, like he was one step closer to something.

"If you're close then you should know, is she's dating anyone right now?"

Ruby felt her bow furrow in annoyance.

"Yes. I happen to know she is." Ruby said, her voice cool light steel.

"Oh, really?" He seemed disappointed, deflating and Ruby cheered mentally, glad he had seemingly been put in his place.

"Do you know who might that be?" He asked, curious eyes focused on Ruby, as if he didn't believe her.

Ruby tired, she tried so hard not to sigh but she couldn't help it.

"Yes." She asked, hoping he would just leave her alone now, not wanting to deal with the inevitable when this boy found out that the girl he had his eye on was 'stolen' away by not only a girl but a girl probably four years younger than him.

But he didn't leave, just stared at her expectantly, a strange determination in his eyes.

"Me. Hello i'm Ruby Rose." She said, smiling, her back straightening so she stood at her full heigh.

She watched as his draw dropped and he froze for a moment before the anger and frustration Ruby had expect took over, his eyebrows drawing together.

"You?" He asked, his voice sounding venomous.

"Yes, me." Ruby replied, her voice unwavering. The one thing that she had learn't from Weiss about being 'high-class' is that they hate to cause a scene and so she was sure he would do anything more then mutter angry comments as he walked away.

"You're a girl." He said, sounding slightly bewildered.

"Oh, thats fantastic, you have eyes. Now if you only had a brain." A voice said cruelly from behind Ruby and instantly she relaxed. Weiss walked around her, standing between her and the boy whose anger had only grown at Weiss' comment.

"Now go on, shoo." Weiss said, making a hand dismissive hand gesture, causing the boy to do what Ruby had expected from the beginning, slouch and walk away muttering offensive slurs.

As soon as the boy was gone Weiss turn to her, her eyes meet Ruby's, shining with sympathy and annoyance.

"Sorry you had to deal with that. I didn't think many people our age would be here so I didn't think that would happen."

Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the back of it soothingly.

"It's okay. You dealt with the hard part anyway."

"Come on. Lets go outside."

Ruby just nodded, following Weiss towards the large glass doors that lead outside. Ruby had the fleeting thought that she would always be met with surprise after being introduced as Weiss' girlfriend. She quickly realised that even though the surprised look would quickly get annoying that she wouldn't mind if it mean't she got to be with Weiss.

When they got outside, Ruby was meet with the slightly cold air of the night, but couldn't find it in herself to mind. Her eyes immediately turn upwards, seeking out the stars. She was disappointed, the sky being washed out by the light around them.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it, being tugged down a small path and into the maze of short hedges. A while of wondering around Ruby found herself far enough away from the hall that the sound of people chatting and the soft chime of music mixed and blended into a general din. She sighed in relief as she dropped onto a bench.

She watch as Weiss followed her, sitting down just beside her.

"Glad to get away from that room?" Weiss asked, her amusement obvious in her voice. Clearly she had enjoyed watching Ruby struggle all night.

"God, yes. More than anything." Ruby breathed out, not being able to find it in herself to be mad at Weiss, after all she was a walking disaster waiting to happen.

"I think you did alright. I had to call you're name about five times when people were talking to you but that can be fixed easily." Weiss said, actually sounding serious.

"You mean I have to come to more of these things?" Ruby asked, sounding completely terrified by the thought.

"Of course, I mean you are my girlfriend. If you weren't here who would fend off all the mouth breathers that think they have a shot with me." Weiss said, earning a giggle from Ruby for her brutality.

"Oh, yeah, because anyone with the confidence to go after you will be scared off by a sixteen year old girl." Ruby said, not sounding too beaten up about the fact that she wouldn't have to scare anyway any 'mouth breathers'.

"Well, that just another think we'll have to teach you."

"Looking forward to it." Ruby said, spinning her finger in celebrating, a small 'whoop' to add to the effect. Ruby had no doubt that in a couple of week she would be attending 'Weiss Schnee's: How to protect you're girlfriend from the imbeciles' classes.

Their conversation drifted off into silence and Ruby turned her gaze to the sky, looking out at the few stars that danced half-heartedly. She felt Weiss' head rest on her shoulder and she turned her head, pressing a kiss into Weiss' hair, the action earning a content hum from the girl.

Ruby turned her gaze back to the night sky, noticing a star that seemed to shine brighter than all the others. Ruby watched for a moment as it hung gracefully in the darkening night. Then it started drifting slowly downward and for a second Ruby wanted to rub at her eyes disbelievingly but settled on just narrowing them. She watched through narrowed eyes for a moment before raising her hand and opening her palm.

The snowflake gently felling into Ruby's open hand and she found a small smile flickering to life at the sight. She took in the intricate, beautiful patterns of the small piece of frost and watched as it sparkled brilliantly in the dim light. The snowflake quickly melted against the heat of her skin and she watched as it turn into a small puddle of water in the palm of her hand.

She turned her head towards Weiss and her small smile turned into a full-blown grin. She nudged her girlfriend with her shoulder, successfully getting Weiss' attention. She then nodded her head towards the sky and Weiss followed her gaze.

Weiss sighed happily as an uncountable amount of snowflakes followed the first. She watched for a moment and felt her lips curl into a slightly awed smile.

"Beautiful." She breathed out, causing Ruby's head to turn towards her.

"Not as beautiful as you." Ruby whispered, without even thinking about it.

Weiss turned to her head, meeting Ruby's eyes and seeing the sincerity and care in her eyes. She had been called beautiful too many times to count but no one says it with as much honesty as Ruby. After a moment her face lit up in a blush and she buried her face into her girlfriends shoulder.

"God that was so cheesy. You are such a dolt."

"Yeah, but you love me." Ruby said, unable to help the wide smile that appeared.

Weiss lifted her face, meeting her girlfriends eyes once more.

"I do you love." Weiss said, pressing a sweet, chaste kiss to the other girls lips.

"Love you too, Weiss."

* * *

_**THE END**_

* * *

**A/n: ** So thats it. It's finished.

I really wanna keep this A/n short so here we go: I have some more stuff planned so follow me if you wanna see more, there will definitely be more WhiteRose so look forward to that (in about 5weeks when I finish college for the year), but there will also be some other pairings that i'm planning on writing (Life Is strange (KatexMax) Maybe Glee (Probably Faberry), there was one more chapter of this but I decided to cut it realising that it wasn't really needed and I hope this ending what satisfactory, after sitting on it for two weeks I decided that it was good enough. Also I am sorry for any mistakes, I try to catch them but i'm still working on it.

Other than that please leave a review, I would love to know if I have improved over the course of writing this or hear any criticism anyone has, but other than that just kind words about what you liked would be amazing too.

Thanks you for reading, hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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